Painful To Remember, Easy to Forget
by xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx
Summary: This is set during the dance studio in Twilight. Same characters, same pairings, different plot. Something James does hurts Bella into an irrevocable state. or so they thought. Rated T just in case. Challenge from Dreamin.of.Scotland Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: No Regrets

A/N: Okay, here is the deal. This is a challenge from .Scotland. Since she was the one that came up with the idea, I have decided to choose her as my beta. She has done an excellent job in helping me out so far, and I know she will help me in future times.

Also, I am just throwing this out there. I am going to make ONE statement in this author's note to let you guys know that unfortunately, I do not own the characters or anything else for that matter. I found this challenge, brainstormed it, and then started writing based on Stephenie Meyer's characters and the challenge details.

I do not have my _Twilight_ book. I actually found a wonderful website, called Crunchy Roll. They actually have the whole book's dialogue on there for a book discussion. So, this is where I am getting the dialogue from, NOT THE BOOK… Also, some of the events do go out of order. For dramatic effect, I put it like this and I hope you respect my decision. If you don't, well, I'm sorry. If you would like to try to follow along in the book during the next two chapters, it is chapter 22 (Hide and Seek) and chapter 23 (The Angel).

Also, I know I do have another story right now going on. I am still trying to figure out how I can repair this story. As you can tell by that last sentence, I won't go into too many details about the problems she runs into. As far as the other story, bare with me and I will try to repair it.

Here's how the story will be run: Every odd number chapter will be Bella's point of view. Every even chapter will be Edward's (Don't worry; I will put these at the top). Every chapter will have their side of the story. There is going to be a repeat of events, but it will have their different perspectives on it. Since Edward can read everyone's (except Bella's) mind, the thoughts will usually be in italics and will have at least a name by the thought.

With all that being said, enjoy the story. I hope you like it. Remember to please review no matter what it must say. I love all comments.

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**BELLA**

Somehow, I knew my body had led me here. He had my mother, what else was I supposed to do? I knew that Edward would be upset when he finds me, probably lying dead. I just hope he doesn't witness it.

Taking a deep breath, I walked into the dance studio, where my demise waited for me. I knew he would be there, with my mother's life at stake. I told him I would meet him at this very place. He should have been here by now, to make my death less time-consuming.

I heard my mother calling out my name. I ran to where it was, only to find a TV there. Playing on the TV was my mother by a wharf. It was during Thanksgiving. I was young, and my mom was paranoid. I watched the screen for a second, taking it all in. He did not have my mother. A moment of relief came to me. The only problem was how could I get out of here before he got me?

Too late. He came up behind me, with a video camera. What was that for? It instantly came to me. He wanted to torture Edward, the reason for doing this. To him, I was a stupid human, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wanted to get me back because Edward protected me in the meadow. I have no regrets about that, but I only have a few about what is going to happen…

"That was quick. I'm impressed," he instantly told me, crashing my idea of running. I tried to make my mind come to terms with the fact that I would never see Edward's face again. I would never see any of the Cullens.

I could only gulp. I couldn't speak. I was helpless. Death was coming closer every second now.

"Let us make this quick," his tone was menacing. It was coming. _Let this be the end,_ I thought hopefully.

Just then, I felt as if I had the power to outrun a vampire. I ran, hoping for an escape. He was in front of me in an instant. He pushed my body down into the mirrors. Having too little force, I crashed into the mirrors, glass shattering everywhere. I was in pain already. He then stepped on my leg, the lightest of force for him, and I heard a crack.

"Wouldn't you rather have Edward try to find me?" he prompted.

"No!" I croaked. "No, Edward, don't—" And then something smashed into my  
face, throwing me back into the broken mirrors.

_Edward, I love you. Edward, I'm sorry, _I thought with all my heart.

From then on, all I could see was blackness. The pain stayed constant, until I fell into a deep sleep. My eyes closed, and I drifted.

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Chapter 1 Playlist (These are just the songs I listened to while playing with the chapter. My Windows Media was on shuffle; this is what came on):

The Climb

Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana

Feel

Matchbox 20

Late

Dane Cook

Your Call

Secondhand Serenade

Long, Slow Beautiful Dance

Rascal Flatts

Please review!! NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY!!!!!!! I don't care if you think it is good or bad!! JUST LET ME NO!!!!


	2. Chapter 2: If She Saw Me Now

A/N: This is a longer chapter. Since Bella passed out in the book (not the movie, though), I have decided to make her pass out. This chapter covers more than that, but you will have to see where it ends. J The chapters should be longer now.

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**

**Edward**

I knew that I was too late.

Alice had seen James. She instantly called me, telling me that James was in Phoenix. Consequently, this was where Bella was at also. Bella had picked out the surroundings: her mother's house. I instantly had plane tickets and was supposed to hide her with Carlisle and Emmett. Rosalie and Esme were to look after Charlie. I ran to the plane, not even having time to pack. Knowing Alice, she would be itching to buy new clothes anyway. My love was in danger. I wanted to be the person she thought I was, a brave, heroic knight in shining armor. I knew otherwise. I could only see myself as a monster, a volatile, hated monster. But, she saw something different in me. I heard something different in her. We were a couple. A very dangerous couple at that.

As soon as we were in air, I waited patiently for the trip. Okay, as patiently as a vampire knowing his human love is in danger by another vampire. Carlisle had to constantly talk to me, telling me this was the quickest way to get to Phoenix. After what seemed like forever, we got off the plane. The only problem was that I could hear Alice's thoughts. She was scared.

_Edward is going to kill me. Why didn't I see this? I knew Bella was stubborn. Edward is coming. Shhh…_

But it was too late. I heard her. What happened to my "stubborn" love?

"Alice, what happened?" I asked quickly, not caring if others heard me. All I cared about finding the mysterious Bella.

"Jasper went to take her to eat. She wanted to go to the bathroom, and she ran out of the bathroom using the other door. We couldn't catch her in time. Please don't hurt me," she said, all at once.

Just then, Alice handed me a letter. It was addressed to _Edward._ I would know that handwriting from anywhere. Bella's. It read:

_I love you. I am so sorry. He has my mom, and I have to try. I know it may not  
work. I am so very, very sorry._

_  
Don't be angry with Alice and Jasper. If I get away from them it will be a  
miracle. Tell them thank you for me. Alice especially, please._

_  
And please, please, don't come after him. That's what he wants. I think. I can't  
bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the  
only thing I can ask you now. For me._

_  
I love you. Forgive me._

_  
Bella_

I let out a growl. Of course, this would be my Bella. She had different tactics to outsmart a vampire. Of course, she outsmarted the ones that were only trying to help her stubborn self. Only to run to the ones that would kill her.

"Let's go find her," I said, immediately going a different direction than what she asked. She would understand that I can't let her die… If she did, I would join her. But how?

I instantly ran to see my Bella. Of course, we were going to be too late. What would happen if we were? I went over solutions in my head. Emmett and Jasper attacking me… no, they would never… then the idea came.

We followed Bella's scent throughout Phoenix. We ended up at a dance studio. It looked nice from the outside, but the inside was filled with my love's blood. Who could do this to her?

_Edward, you do realize that we may not enter and find Bella alive, right?_ Carlisle asked. I minutely nodded my head and returned to hoping for the best. Outside the studio, just then, I heard Bella scream. I ran in, hoping to help her out. At least she wasn't dead.

When we entered the studio, Bella was passed out. James was on side of her, a cynic enjoying her pain. I knew he was doing this just to get back at me, for protecting her in the meadow. Of course, I was doing this to protect her. He thought it was a game. Both players were not aware of the score until now.

My animalistic nature kicked in. If Bella would have seen me then, there was no doubt in my mind that she would have left me in an instant. I pounced on James, who had taken a break to watch the spectacle of Bella's pain. Carlisle instantly pulled me off. My brothers got to him as soon as I was off; they led him to a different room, a room in which Bella's blood was not as potent. The evil menace did not even have time to enjoy Bella's pain in between fights. For that, I was grateful.

"Your brothers have him. Let's tend to Bella," Carlisle said. I didn't need Jasper to tell me that Carlisle only felt remorse and compassion. He thought of Bella as a beloved daughter, who was soon to join our family. When I hesitated, he added, "Bella needs you. She's hurt badly."

I then ran to Bella, in the middle of the floor, dying. She was screaming with every labored breath she had. She was hurt, anyone could tell that. The only problem was the extent of the damage was too much. Carlisle knew he would not be able to fix her. He would need more medical tools than he had. He could only prepare her for the hospital, a journey in which would be a nightmare for both her and me.

Bella stopped screaming. I started to get scared; at least I knew she was alive when she was screaming.

"Oh no, Bella, no!" I cried in horror, hoping that she was still sleeping. I didn't want her to wake up in this much pain.

I growled again, trying to control myself. James would pay for this. Emmett and Jasper, in the other room, would make sure we all get our revenge.

I wanted to wake her up, but at the same time, I didn't. I wanted to make sure she was alive, but I didn't want her to be in pain.

"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" I begged. I decided that trying to wake her up was the best option.

"Carlisle!" I called, agonizingly. She would not wake up. I was scared she was dead. I didn't want her to be, not yet.

"Edward, calm down. Bella will wake up when she comes around. You shouldn't yell like that," Carlisle said. I knew he wanted Bella alive as much as what I did. He just handled his emotions better than I did. He had three hundred years to work on it though.

"Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!" I screamed, crying. I knew she was dead. She wasn't screaming anymore, and her heartbeat was low enough that even a vampire next to her could not hear.

Just then, in the middle of my silent crying, Bella let out a bloodcurdling scream. It pierced both the rest of the mirrors and my heart.

"Bella!" I screamed, joyous. The occasion turned out to be great, even though my love was in pain. At least she was alive.

Carlisle interrupted me to tell me his medical examination. "She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep," he said in the calmest voice possible. Knowing Bella was up; he did not want to make this seem like a big deal, even though it was. Bella was known to overreacting, and an overreaction would cause more blood to come out of her open head wound. "Watch out for her leg, it's broken."

I contained another growl within me, hoping that I would have a hand at fighting James. Of course, my time was already over. My job now was to help Bella at all costs.

When Bella tried to move and screamed in pain, Carlisle added, "and some ribs too, I think."

_Edward, I don't know if I am going to be able to save her. There is a huge possibility that I won't. You may want to be prepared for anything. I will do my best, son. Don't let this ruin your life._ Carlisle was telling me in my head. I tried not to listen, but there was nothing to block out his thoughts in my mind. Plus, half of my mind wanted to hear the news. The other half just wanted to curl in a ball and hope that Bella comes out alive. I wouldn't know how to go on without her. I wouldn't know if I could go on.

"Help me," Bella whimpered. I knew she was trying to tell me something, so I listened with my extra-hearing to hear what she wanted to say.

"I'm here," I said back, my voice unclear. It was apparent that I had been dry sobbing for awhile now.

"It hurts," she whimpered. That's it… someone will pay for this… They hurt my one true love.

"I know, Bella, I know," I said. The love of my life, the reason for my existence, was in pain. I turned to Carlisle, horrified. "Can't you do anything?"

Carlisle looked at me, then Alice. She was trying extremely hard to resist Bella's blood. It was harder for her, even though Bella's blood was worse for me because I was preoccupied with Bella's pain. "My bag please… Hold your breath, Alice, it will help."

Alice grabbed Carlisle's bag so that he can give Bella some morphine. This would knock Bella out, but she would not be in pain. Alice, on the other hand, held her breath. According to her thoughts, it was working out better.

"Alice?" Bella asked, a questioning tone in her voice.

"She's here, she knew where to find you," I said, plainly. _She was also the one that let you out of her sight to come see James, of all people._

"My hand hurts."

"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something. It will stop," I said. As if we didn't know she was in pain…

"MY HAND IS BURNING!!!!" Bella screamed. It ripped me up more inside.

"Bella?" I was frightened now. Normally, this would not happen. Carlisle has never had this happen as a doctor in his two hundred years of working.

"The fire! Someone stop the fire!" Okay, now something was wrong. I immediately shifted my thoughts to Carlisle. Surely, he knew what was going on.

"Carlisle! Her hand!"

"He bit her." Those simple words, three to be exact, made my world come crashing down. Every nerve I thought I had ended. Every thought I had immediately went to the fire when Carlisle changed me. Of course, he said that he had accidently made my transformation more painful than what it needed to be. Who said that James would not do the same to Bella?

I took in a deep breath, my world spinning. Alice tried to tell me something, but I was too preoccupied in my own problems. I didn't even catch what she said.

"No," I cried, even harder than before. Bella was going through the pain that made someone wish for death. I was supposed to just sit and watch, an innocent bystander, while the flames were ripping through Bella's body? I think not.

Carlisle, the only voice beside Bella's that I would listen to, gave me a sense of hope. "There may be a chance."

"What?" I begged, uncaring. I would do anything for Bella. I wanted to end this fire.

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean." Correction: anything but this. I would not be able to stop. I would kill her myself. All the images of Bella and I together floated through my mind.

Alice and Carlisle were talking, but I could not make out what they said. Bella and I were consuming my thoughts.

"Carlisle I…" I hesitated… "I don't know if I can do that." Agony, filled with hatred. Hatred of myself; the one creature that hurt Bella in unimaginable ways.

Carlisle thought, _Edward, you have to do it. It's the only way to save Bella. It's your choice, but think of Bella in this. What would she want you to do? I will stop you once you get out of control. I won't let Bella die from you. You need to have the patience to stop, though. I can't always be here._

Bella screamed in agony once more, making up my mind. I would do this, to save her. She was the love of my life…

I lifted her hand up to my mouth. Her blood was so tempting… I dug my teeth into her already exposed skin, one drop of her delicious blood hitting my tongue…

Her blood was even better than it smelled. That one drop made me want more. Knowing that I was going to kill her, but not being able to resist, I continued to get the venom out.

Carlisle interrupted me then. I only noticed at that moment that Bella's heartbeat, already low before, began to slow even more. Humanity was slowly coming back for me… Humanity was leaving her. Ideas of death started coming in to my mind.

"Edward. That's enough. You're killing her."

I instantly let go of her arm. Hopefully, the fire was gone.

So was I. I ran off, out of the dance studio. I would continue running, until my mind decided what to do. I didn't want to put Bella in harm's way anymore. At the same time, emotions that I had never experienced before boiled up to the surface. Love. So wonderful, so beautiful, and yet so wrong.

I didn't look back. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't want to be here when Bella died. Maybe something would eat me or kill me. I didn't care… I wanted to be with Bella, my dying Bella, for eternity.

I started running faster, having a purpose in mind…

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Chapter 2 Playlist:

Scream (live from NYC)

Tokio Hotel

A Little Less 16 Candles, a Little More "Touch Me"

Fall Out Boy

Secret Valentine

We The Kings

I Don't Love You

My Chemical Romance

Damn Regret

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus 


	3. Chapter 3: Who's 'Bella'

A/N: Sorry that I have been like temporarily missing the last few days. It took me awhile to write. I just came back home, spent time with family and friends, and tried my best to update. I don't think it worked out as well as I planned, but there is still room for improvement.

With that, let's begin. This chapter is from Bella's point of view. It is not all the same thing as what Edward's was, but it does have the same dialogue. Enjoy!

Remember, I like reviews. I don't care what they say, and I hope you let me know how I am doing! If you hate it, let me know why. I can try to fix it maybe. Every comment helps me get better as a writer!

Enjoy!

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As I drifted, I dreamed.

When I awoke, I did not know where I was. All I knew was pain. It was like waking up to a nightmare.

I heard voices. They were beautiful, angelic. At the same time, they seemed familiar. I tried to figure out who it was and where I was at. Nothing came to mind, except the consuming pain I felt.

"Oh no, Bella, no," the best angelic voice said. I wonder who "Bella" is. There was no way that it was me. Why would this angel be mine? How?

"Bella, please! Bella listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" The angel screamed and let out a monstrous growl. Whoever this "Bella" is needs to answer him. I wonder what happened to him and Bella, and if she was in as much pain as me.

"Carlisle!" He screamed. Now, who was this "Carlisle" he spoke of? He seemed important.

"Bella, oh please, no, no!" the angel screamed again. Bella needs to answer him. I wonder how far away she is from me.

The never-ending pain came stronger this time. I screamed, unable to do anything.

"Bella!" he sounded joyous. I doubted the occasion could be joyous; at least, it was not joyous for me. My body was screaming for death every second.

Another angel answered just then. "She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep." I don't know who he was talking about, but I wanted to hear what happened. "Watch out for her leg. It's broken," he said.

I tried to turn, hoping that I could hear something about this "Bella." Mistake. I screamed in pain and lied back down.

"And some ribs too, I think," the other angel said. Was he a doctor? He was sure giving out medical examinations.

"Help me," I whimpered, not sure if I could tolerate the pain anymore. I don't remember anything about me. Maybe it's the pain; it twisted my body around without me even moving. Just like I thought I could scream, but the pain immobilized me only to whisper inaudibly.

"I'm here," the first angel said. I concentrated on his voice. At least death would come easier. He had a musical tone to his voice, one that would put me to sleep. This would inconsequently lead to my death. Knowing this, I tried to keep my eyes open. I don't know what I was fighting for, but there was something that I should.

"It hurts," I said, hoping the angel would hear me. If he was an angel, he could do something, right?

"I know, Bella, I know," he said. When he answered again, he seemed to be talking in a different direction. "Can't you do anything?" he growled, his voice overpowering everything else.

"My bag please… Hold your breath, Alice, it will help." Who was Alice?

"Alice?" I asked, wondering who that was. The name only came to me faintly, like it was in a different universe. I might have heard it once or twice.

"She's here. She knew where to find you," he said, as if I knew her before whatever happened, or like we were childhood friends. Who knew?

Instead of asking the many questions I wanted, I settled for the most obvious (and painful) statement. "My hand hurts."

"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something. It will stop." Now, who was Carlisle? And where is this Bella at again? And why is he downplaying the pain I am in?

"MY HAND IS BURNING!" I screamed, hopefully audible enough for someone to hear.

"Bella?" He asked, worry in his voice. I wonder if she hadn't answered him in awhile or if he was scared of what she said.

"The fire! Someone stop the fire!" I yelled, trying to get someone to, well, stop the fire burning inside of me.

"Carlisle! Her hand!" He screamed, agonizingly.

"He bit her," he said. It sounded like the doctor's voice from earlier. What did he mean "he bit me?" What is wrong with these people? Do they just run around biting people? Why did his bite hurt so much more than others? Who is he?

"No," the angel cried. This was wrong… very wrong. The angel should not be crying. Nor should I be in pain.

A high-pitched sing-song voice said something, but I could not catch what. I learned from past experiences not to move, so I really didn't bother.

"There may be a chance," the doctor said. For what? To cure this odd bite?

"What?" he sounded like he was begging.

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean," he said. What the hell?

…and then I woke up to a normal world.

But sadly, I don't know where I am or if I will ever wake up. If I am awake, I must be in too much pain to realize. If I am not, I belong in a mental asylum, away from others. To have dreams of someone biting me was wrong… very wrong…

"Carlisle… I… I don't know if I could do that," he said, with agony in his still perfect angelic voice.

I screamed in pure pain, hoping to just give up and win at the same time. Unfortunately, I couldn't have my cake and eat it too.

I felt my hand being raised, only to feel more pain. It was up against someone's mouth. Just then, teeth clamped down and I felt more agonizing pain, if that was possible. Every cell in my body wanted to die. I screamed, and flailed around, hoping for an escape. It didn't work. Someone had my head clamped down, and my leg was braced to the ground, unable to move. Also, the girl with the high sing-song voice was trying to calm me down; it didn't work. I still continued to try with all my might to escape the pain, run away from my worst nightmare. It didn't work. Escape was apparently not my thing for dealing with things.

I soon felt sleepier and wanted to sleep; I knew this was a mask for death, but I didn't care. The fire went away, but my consciousness accompanied it.

My eyes opened to a bright, white light. I was in an unfamiliar room, a white room. The wall beside me was covered in long vertical blinds; over my head, the glaring lights blinded me. I was propped up on a hard, uneven bed – a bed with rails. The pillows were flat and lumpy. There was an annoying beeping sound somewhere close by. I hoped that meant I was still alive. Death shouldn't be this uncomfortable.

My hands were all twisted up with clear tubes, and something was taped across my face, under my nose. I lifted my hand to rip it off.

"Bella, sweetie," a comforting voice called. Bella must be next to me. I guess she just woke up too. She put my hand back down.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She looked confused, and then she shrugged, not helping me out.

"I'll go get Dr. Cullen," she said. Who was he? The name _Cullen_ rang a bell, but no memories would come to the surface in my mind. I hoped I could figure out something.

With that, she walked out the room.

She returned a few seconds later with a very handsome doctor. He started checking the machines that I was connected to.

"Hey, Bella. How are you today?" he asked. After no response, he asked again.

"Who's Bella?" I asked, wanting to know who he was talking to. He had his eyes on me, but my name was not Bella.

"You. Do you know where you are at?"

"No?" I said confused. I never thought of that.

He walked out the room, asking Renee to follow him. I'm guessing that was the lady's name. I wonder how both of them knew each other.

After a second, only the guy came back in. He said that 'Renee' would be out for a second.

"Can you tell me your age?"

"No."

"What about where you live?"

"No," I said, starting to get aggravated. I didn't know anything!

"Do you mind if we do a test?" He asked, wondering.

"I don't care. Will it hurt?"

"Not at all."

After finishing the test, the man told me that he would let me know the results as soon as he looked over the scan. Renee came back in to wait with me.

I waited… and waited… and waited. The white walls seemed to be a curse; there was nothing else to look at.

Only a couple of times did Renee try to spark a conversation with me. I was too nervous to talk to her. She seemed like me in a couple of ways. She seemed… held back, like she didn't want to spill a big secret. I let that go, only to continue waiting.

When Dr. Cullen came back in (with the results, I hoped), he asked to speak to Renee only. Renee walked back out of the room, the handsome man following. Once out of the room, Dr. Cullen started talking to her. I couldn't hear the conversation, only the murmured voices. It seemed like Renee was crying. Occasionally, a husky man's voice chimed in. He was also crying. I once again could not hear what he said, only his voice.

Dr. Cullen came in the room again after a few minutes.

"Hey, how are the results?" I asked, wondering.

"Bella, Renee and Charlie won't be coming in the room for awhile… There is something that was quite…bothersome in the last test results," his beautiful angelic voice said, hesitating to let me know what was going on with me.

"How are they?" I said with my voice barely audible.

"Bella, I'm afraid they aren't all good," he said sadly.

If I would have been standing, I would have fainted. Instead, I just asked, "What is it?"

He started, remorse filling his voice.

* * *

Playlist:

ANYTHING BY SECONDHAND SERENADE... (How great of a playlist is that??)

I am trying to get the next chapter up soon. I wanna start writing it like right now, so I can have it done before the end of next week. Unfortunately, I may be camping on a beach (YUCK) and not be able to write. So I wanna get a chapter done asap.

Enjoyed it? Well, let me know... I'm not like Edward who can read minds and know what you think (nor do I have my own personal Edward, only a pillow of the angel). I can barely answer my cell phone, nevertheless know what you are thinking :). Please review. It will be appreciated, and you may even get a snippet on what is coming up next :). So review, and you may get a snippet cookie. :)

Thanks  
AliceBrandonCullen


	4. Chapter 4: Old Visit With A New Twist

**A/N: Sorry about the wait. I have been going crazy lately... Okay not really. Here's the deal: After the camping trip (which went HORRIBLE, might I add), I lost all inspiration to write until 1 that next morning (aka this morning). So, I typed up the rest of it and then my Beta, .Scotland (who is absolutely amazing) looked over it. So, that's why it took so long. Beta didn't take too long; it was the fact that the camping trip turned bad (okay, more like a nightmare.. there is a reason i hate the outdoors) and then little ABC lost all inspiration. So, without further ado (yes, it is ado), here is Chapter 4: Same Old Visit With A New Twist. I know you guys have been waiting for it. **

* * *

**EDWARD**

I ran, having a purpose in mind. I figured I could go to Denali, where Tanya would be. If worse comes to worst, I knew I would have her. Sadly, girls do not get over guys, even if they are vampires.

It took me a few hours of running to get to Alaska. Once there, I knocked on the door. Tanya, looking as beautiful as ever, answered.

"Why hello, Edward. It is so nice to see you again," she said, her voice beautiful. _I wonder if he changed his mind about me. That could be why he is here…_ she thought excitedly.

"Hello, Tanya. Nice to see you as well. Unfortunately, I have not rethought your offer," I said, as gentlemanly as possible. Bella… I gulped… would be pleased if she was still alive.

"Come on in. So, what brings you here?" she extended her hand, an offer to come inside. I took her generous offer, and went sit on a loveseat. I wasn't tired; I have just been playing human for too long.

"I thought I needed a break from what was going on in Forks. I knew you would welcome me back, cousins. Sorry about the last time," I said, seeing Kate, Irina, Eleazar, and Carmen. They sat down next to me also. Tanya decided to sit on the recliner, trying not to take offense to my gentlemanly rejection.

"Well, let me know what is going on. How are Carlisle and the rest of your brothers and sisters?" She asked. "I haven't seen them in awhile. We should go visit one day."

"They are fine. We had an…" I struggled to find the right word, "incident," there we go, "with another vampire. Carlisle and Alice are tending to the situation," I said, realizing how weird that sounded. The only incident that vampires caused was over humans or hostility. Jasper knew this well; he hated himself for the upbringing of his vampire years, and he constantly thought about it with fear that Alice would see who he was before and leave him. Of course, his thoughts were half-hearted. He could feel Alice's emotions and know that she only felt pure love for him, even while he explained his story to her.

"What happened?" Kate sounded curious. She put her arm around me, a sign of remorse.

I shrugged out of her arms, not wanting to be held by anyone except Bella. "It was incident between a human that we were talking to and a vampire," I said, hoping they didn't notice my struggle over the word "human."

"Edward! How could you let him? Jasper brought a human… to eat," Kate sounded angry. Her thoughts immediately went to how Jasper could do such a thing. Our covens believed that human life was sacred; they had always been wary of Jasper because of his unusual upbringing.

I struggled to answer her. "No…Jasper did not bring her. I did. I ended up falling in love with her." I didn't even care what they thought. I just wished she was still alive and well.

I looked around after a few moments of uneasy silence. They all had different expressions of shock on their face. Tanya seemed hurt. I didn't even bother to read their minds.

"Edward… How… could you?" Kate managed to gasp.

"It wasn't on purpose. I couldn't _hear_ her. I wanted to know what she was thinking…and then the first thing led on to the second…I soon found I could not resist her," I said, almost dry sobbing again. I didn't want them to feel my pain; it was bad enough Jasper had to feel it while I was at home.

"Oh, well, let me know if you need anything. I need to go hunting. I'll be back soon," Tanya quickly said, knowing I wanted to change the conversation. I silently thanked her for her helpfulness.

"I'll be fine. I just wanted to get out of the situation over there. Thank you again."

Quickly, the others joined Tanya to go hunting. I decided to stay behind and let my thoughts run free. I could only keep them contained for so long.

I decided to get out of the lovely house. I went to a forest not far from the house. That way, I would still be able to be secluded when they came back.

Twilight came. I instantly went back to the house, ready for whatever awaited me.

When I walked in, I realized that this was wrong. I wanted so desperately to go back to Forks, but it would be different because Bella was dead. I did not want this to come true, but I knew that I had killed her.

Tanya instantly noted something wrong with me, and asked me if she could see me outside. I agreed, wary of what would happen.

"Edward, something has you down. I wanted to know if there is any way I could help," she asked, concern in her thoughts.

"Tanya, it's just what happened. I killed the girl because the vampire had bit her. Carlisle told me that I could suck the blood out to try to save her. I did, but I killed her. My love!" I screamed to the world, hoping that no one would hear me. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and join my Bella in death. I knew my family would disapprove, but they have never felt the way I do. "I just wish there was some way I could join her," I said, immediately regretting it. Tanya was too nice for her own good.

"Edward, don't do anything rash. Are you sure?" she asked, just to make sure.

"Her heartbeat was low when I finished, Tanya. I doubt that she could recover from what I did," I said, trying to reason that she was alive. Tanya gave me that little sense of hope… Maybe she was alive. My mind instantly shied away from that thought; I didn't want to keep believing in something that was not realistic. _But you aren't realistic_, I thought to myself.

"Edward, you may want to go back and find out for sure. I know how much it will kill you. But, cousin, you need to set things right." I could tell she wanted me to stay here, but she didn't want me to be in pain like I was. She hoped that maybe I could bring Bella here and we could all live a happy life. But, knowing Bella, she would not survive living around vampires. She could hardly survive living in a world at all with those clumsy feet of hers.

"Let me get things situated… I'll go in a few days. I hope everything will be calm then," I said, procrastinating. I knew Tanya would remember in a few days that I said this, but I didn't care. I hoped she would just understand when the time comes.

The next few weeks dragged by relentlessly. Bella was the only thought that filled my mind, an image of her broken bones, and sounds of her screaming about the venom consuming her bloodstream left me quite unpleasant. Then my brave attempt to save her, ending in her death; it was wrong. I shouldn't have saved her. She would be alive, as a vampire, if it was not for me. I could not bring myself to regret the fact that I had gotten rid of the fire; I regretted the fact that I killed her. Two very different things, yet they seemed so similar.

After the initial conversation with Tanya, we really didn't talk much. Everyone kept to themselves; life went on for them. I wish I could get out of this never-ending nightmare. Bella was all I ever thought of. She was my life; the reason for my existence. Now that she was gone, I could not find a way to cope. I would never find a way.

Carlisle would not have given up on her; I knew that. But, how far could he go when a volatile monster like me killed her? Would he bite her again, just to save her? He knew that she was the reason for my being. He had thought about biting her before James attacked her. He knew it would save us trouble, but he decided against it. He guessed that I would be angry; he was definitely right with that thought.

As these thoughts came to my mind, I found myself running faster than humanly possible. I wanted to go back to Forks, to see what happened. If Bella was still alive, I would stay. If she wasn't, well, I would find some way to execute myself from this world also. I could be with her. _Sorry about the wait,_ I thought to Bella.

I hoped the Denali clan did not take offense to my leaving. To be sure that it would not end horrifically as it did last time, I took a turn and went to tell the Denali's my goodbyes and best wishes for the future that I would not intrude upon.

As expected, Tanya and her family were in the house. They noticed I had something important to say (I really did love them; they were like family) so they all went back to the couches where they were when I first arrived; it was their meeting place. I stood up, hoping to make my speech short. The longer I made my announcement, the longer I would have until I see what my fate is, and the longer I would prolong death.

Tanya ushered me to begin. I promptly did so, talking at a human's pace.

"I have decided that I would like to go back to Forks to see what the situation is at home. I really do appreciate your kindness and generosity towards me and I hope that I can one day extend this out to you. I do not think I will be able to, though, because my time on this planet is short-lived. My fate depends on the person that I truly admire. As much as I love the people, I feel that my life has no meaning without the one I love. I hope you understand my decision. Please be careful and do not do anything rash because of me. Thank you for your hospitality throughout the years," I said, hoping that covered all the major points. I instantly tried to gauge a reaction through the tenor of my audience's thoughts. They were all shocked, to say the least.

_Should I let him go back? I told him not to do anything rash and this is what he comes up with? I hope he does not truly mean it. But, in all the years I have known Edward, I cannot recall a time when he did not mean something he said. I should probably alert Carlisle. Maybe he can do something. Would he listen to me if I reasoned with him?_ Tanya wondered.

"Thanks for your offer, Tanya, but I cannot be reasoned with. If you feel the need to alert Carlisle, do as you wish. It would go against every fiber of his being to hold me back against my wishes." I turned around saying, "I guess this is farewell."

With that, I was off. I could hear Tanya in the background, running after me. After awhile, she eventually stopped and went back home. I continued running, needing no audience to keep me entertained. I was busy thinking about how to exterminate myself from the world if the need would come. I knew that Carlisle would not hold me back, but he would not assist me in my wishes. Emmett and Jasper were best left out of this whole ordeal, for they would hold me back. They would also not take a part in my death. Alice would be, by far, the hardest to tell a lie to. She could probably already see what I was planning. I just hoped she would not hold me back. She knew what I really wanted.

I felt bad for my family. I know it would break Esme's heart, but I felt this was for the better. I could not live in a world where Bella did not exist. I hoped she would understand this in time. I was blessed to know such a person like Esme. I knew I didn't deserve her when things like this happened.

_Please forgive me, _I thought as I walked into the house.

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**Playlist: dealt with two major songs: No Surprise (Daughtry) and The World's Greatest (R. Kelly)**

**Hope you enjoyed it! But, the problem is: I don't really know.. so, please review. If you hate it, please let me know (I know some are like no flames, but I really don't mind. They help me know that someone is actually reading this story; plus, they help me get better as a writer). Of course, if you review and you want one, you can get a snippet of the next chapter (that you really want.. trust me). When you respond, please answer this question: Do you believe in vampires? If you do, why? I just want to know. I'll post my answer up when I put the next chapter up.**

**I'm not going to lie to you and tell you when the next chapter will be up. My life is quite hectic right now and I use all my time to either research what's happening, read other stories, or write this story (using the research and the other stories that I have read). I will write this: I am hoping to at least start the chapter tonight. I may or may not finish depending on the circumstances tomorrow and tonight. Plus, I will be sleeping at a friend's house tomorrow night (hopefully), so don't expect an update this late at night. I might be able to do it earlier if all works well. :)**

**AliceBrandonCullen**


	5. Chapter 5: Meeting The Family

**Hey! I'm back! Sorry for such a long absence. You see, what had happened was... well the camping trip went bad (not the best I have had). I lost inspiration to write. Then, well, I was thinking about putting this up, but couldn't figure out a time. I recieved the news that one of my favorite bands, Panic! At the Disco, broke up (which absolutely sucks, but I do like Brendo and Spence's new demo. I think it sounds a lot better than when RyRo was in the band. Sorry if that offended anyone; I didn't mean to. It was just my opinion!) yesterday. Not to mention that a lot of the fanfics on here are really good! Then, well, I started reading them. I need to stop procrastinating... Sorry again for the long wait!**

**This chapter is from Bella's point of view. It's a little longer than the other chapters (at 3,026 words), but it covers a lot of information that I needed to get out there for this story to continue. So I hope you enjoy the chapter. I hope it was well worth the wait.**

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Dr. Cullen looked at me with remorse filling his eyes once again before beginning.

"Bella, I am so sorry. You have something called retrograde amnesia," he said, overcome with remorse, as if it was _his_ fault that I was in the condition that I was in. I don't know what was wrong with him; I don't think I ever met him, although his voice did sound familiar. _Cullen_ also sounded familiar, but I knew my mind was playing tricks on me; I had amnesia, after all.

His words sounded foreign to me; they were all perfectly accentuated. I was not a doctor. I did not know what that meant, and I wanted to know what was wrong with me. "What is that?" I asked, completely lost.

"Basically, it means that you cannot remember anything before your head trauma. You will also not get this memory back."

I instantly felt grief; what would happen after this? How would I live my life not knowing anything? I wouldn't be able to do anything… I couldn't live on my own; I couldn't marry; I couldn't do anything! Frustrated, I decided to take my mind off of this and ask another question to the waiting doctor. "Well, what happened to make me lose my memory? I don't remember anything, like you said. Can you please help me?" I asked, truly afraid that my life would be a complete train wreck. I was truly wondering if the whole 'bit her' idiocy dealt with this.

"Okay, I can't answer everything _here_, though," he said, looking around, before continuing, confusing me even more if that was possible. "Basically, you are Bella. You live here in Forks with your father, but you used to live in Phoenix with your mother. You were dating my son, Edward." When he said "Edward," something pulled at my memory, but I could not quite fathom what it was. "You went back to Phoenix because you didn't want to be grounded here in this small town," he chuckled, and then continued. "Edward, Alice, and I went to Phoenix to talk some sense into you, but you tripped and fell down two flights of stairs and went through a window," he seemed saddened at the fact that I tripped. Was it uncommon? "You were in serious condition when Edward found you, so I took care of you the best I could in the hotel, but I needed more medical care than what I had, so I brought you to the hospital there, but the staff there quickly took you back to Forks by a helicopter because I wanted to take care of you, and I could not do so in Phoenix without a different license. Also, Charlie and Renee wanted to be near you and they both agreed that Forks was the best choice to meet. When you were examined, you had a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in your skull, a lot of bruises, and we had to give you a few transfusions." It seemed like he would never stop. "We had to keep you in a medically-induced coma for five days," he said, his remorse deepening if possible. With that, he said "I'll see you soon. You have a visitor." With guilt-filled eyes, he walked out of the room.

A woman who looked to be in her thirties came in. She had laugh lines, but the fact that she had been crying overshadowed her lines. "Bella," she instantly said, relief taking her fine features.

"Hi?" I said, not knowing who she was. I hoped she would not take offense to this; I didn't want her to. I wanted to know who she was and her relation to me.

"Do you remember me?" she asked, hope filling her voice. I guess she heard the news.

"No. Should I?" I asked back.

"Bella, I am your mother."

"Oh, I am sorry. I have amnesia," I said, hoping she would understand. I still felt bad for having to ask who my own mother was.

Just then, my pains let themselves become known. I whimpered, unable to do anything else. I knew that if I moved, I would be in pain more. I hoped someone could hear that; maybe they could help me.

My mom shot up instantly, calling the desk. A bored woman answered, saying the nurse would arrive shortly.

"It's going to be okay. I just called a nurse; she should be here soon," she said, repeating what the uninterested woman said. She tried to make me calm down, but she only made it worse; she couldn't find a place that was not bandaged to pat. Exasperated and frustrated, she went sit back down.

A nurse walked in. She appeared to be in her mid-forties. She tapped the IV feed (ugh… needles). She then put some more medicine in it. Before she was done, I felt drowsy, but I tried to fight it. I tried to keep my eyes open, although they involuntarily shut. I opened them again, only to have this process repeat. I didn't want to go to sleep; I wanted to know more about myself.

"Don't fight it, Bella. Please sleep. You need to rest. We will talk later," my mom said, knowing what I wanted dearly. With that promise, I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

When I awoke from a deep slumber, I saw a man standing next to my mother.

"Good morning, sweetie. How are you feeling?" my mom asked me. I felt quite uncomfortable talking to her when this unknown man was in the room, but I answered her anyway.

"Okay. Who are you?" I asked to the man after replying to my mother. His features saddened, but I did not know what else to say.

"Bella, I'm Charlie, your father," he said in a gravelly voice.

"Oh, sorry," I said. I felt so bad when I had to ask people who they were, especially my own mother and father! I hoped they understood. The room fell silent, but it was an awkward silence; it seemed like someone should say something, but we did not know what to say. We settled for silence until someone walked in the room.

It was the doctor.

"How are you today?" he asked, his features perking at the fact of seeing me up.

"Better, but I don't know if it's because of the medicine," I told him honestly.

"True," his face frowned. He tried to perk up, but I could see through it. He looked at my mother and father. "Can I have a moment with Bella?" he asked.

"Sure," my father grumbled. My mom just complied with Dr. Cullen's request, at a loss for words.

"What's wrong, Dr. Cullen?" I asked.

"Please, call me Carlisle." Memories of his name resurfaced; the beautiful, musical voice called his name many times that night. "Nothing is wrong; don't worry. I just wanted to know if you would mind meeting my family. They have been patiently waiting for you to wake up, if such a thing is possible," he said, smiling in spite of the situation before him. "If you don't want them to come, I am sure they would not take offense to this," he said, his perfect voice soothing, letting me know that it was ultimately my choice.

"I don't mind; I would actually like to meet them," I said. It surprised me that I was completely honest with this answer. I had not felt this way since before I could remember. "One question, though: would you mind staying? I don't know them, and I would feel better if someone that I knew would be in here. Also, it would make the family complete," I said, smiling. I hoped he would be okay with this.

He frowned before continuing, having some internal problem with my choice of words in the last part, "Of course, Bella. I will call them and let them know that they are welcome. They should be over shortly," he said, changing his expression once again as he walked out of the room.

My parents walked right back in. They seemed to be contemplating whether or not they should ask me about what happened. I decided to break the silence and just say it.

"Carlisle wanted to know if I would mind his family visiting me," I said. Their faces immediately brightened again, thanking someone that I was not hurt any more than I already was.

It stayed quiet for awhile; none of us wanted to say anything. Occasionally, nurses would walk in the room to check my vitals, but they never stayed for long.

About an hour later, Carlisle asked me if I was ready to meet his family. I said yes excitedly, and Charlie and my mom walked out of the room, mumbling that they would be back. His family walked in and my mouth fell to the floor.

All of the Cullen's were so beautiful; they looked like they did not belong in Forks. They were all different, yet the same. They all had purple rings under their eyes, indicating that they have not slept in awhile. Their eyes were also gold, like Carlisle's. Each person had a different appearance, but they were all strikingly beautiful. I could not contain my eyes.

"Hello," I said, breaking out of my reverie. They were so stunningly beautiful! Why would they live here, in Forks?

One of the women in the family stepped up; she seemed to be the oldest, but she did not look old enough to have the kids in front of me. "Hello, Bella. I am Esme, Carlisle's wife." She seemed really friendly; I wondered if I knew her before the incident. Considering I knew Carlisle and Alice, I probably did; I just don't remember her.

The shortest girl with black pixie hair stood forward and introduced herself as Alice. I barely remembered her name being mentioned… She quickly introduced her boyfriend, Jasper. I wondered if Esme was his mother also. Jasper didn't say anything. Instead, he waved and smiled, but I felt his presence to be comforting in itself. He didn't need to say anything to make me feel at home. I waved back

The most beautiful girl stepped forward with a look of hatred on her face. I wonder why she was so upset. Was it over me? "I am Rosalie and this is my boyfriend, Emmett," she said in an amazingly beautiful voice. I instantly felt jealous over Rosalie. I didn't have much time to think before Emmett smiled a huge grin that lit up his face. It caused me to smile back until I felt the muscles in my face strike back. Pain then overwhelmed me for a second.

"Carlisle, I have a question," I said. He nodded for me to go on. "Where is your other son, the one I dated?" I asked, barely audible while thinking how beautiful he must be to be with this family. The Cullens' faces immediately went down, though they still looked as beautiful as ever.

"Edward has decided to visit his cousins in Alaska. He wanted to be here, but the plane tickets were impossible to change. Plus, we were on short notice," Alice stepped forward and said. She had the really high sing-song voice that I had heard. I found it to also be somehow soothing.

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you all… again." I sounded self-conscious. How could I not be when these people were around me? I was strikingly below average. Esme smiled and I immediately felt calm again.

"Bella, dear, we are all so sorry about what had happened," she said, her beautiful voice saddened.

"It's not your fault; it's my fault that I tripped," I murmured. I guess the family had learned to put the blame on themselves. This was wrong; it was my fault that I tripped.

My words seemed to affect all of them; they all instantly saddened and flinched after I finished. It seemed like they were hiding something from me.

The Cullens ended up staying awhile, talking about events that I had already known. Esme offered to stay the night, which I quickly accepted. I felt calm in her presence, and I would no doubt need that while attempting to rest. The Cullens left, which somehow made me sad; Esme promised she would be back later after getting necessities for the night.

My mother and Charlie (I decided to call him that; it's much easier) came back in, but their expressions were completely different. My mom seemed exhausted, and Charlie seemed depressed.

My mother came over to me and patted me on the head. "Bella, I need to leave tonight. My husband, Phil, is waiting for me. I tried telling him that I wanted to wait and stay with you, but he seemed to want me to come home. Also, I had a plane scheduled for tonight and I could not get it rescheduled. I hope that is okay," she said. I wondered who Phil was.

"Okay. Who is Phil? I thought he was my father. What happened?" I asked, pointing to Charlie. I wanted to know the truth and I was tired of these games where people would only tell me half the story.

"Charlie and I are divorced, honey. I married Phil almost a year ago. Charlie and I were… unhappy. We were opposites, and opposites did not attract," she said, patting my head. She found the only place that was not bandaged as much as the others.

"Oh. I love you," I said, still having questions in my mind. I figured I would get them answered later, if there was a such thing.

"I love you, too, honey. Try not to fall as much; I don't want to lose you," she said as she walked out the door.

Charlie seemed uncomfortable, so he seemed excited to hear the news that Esme was sleeping over tonight. He said he had to go to work, but he did not want to leave me alone. I told him I was fine with Esme, and he soon left.

Esme showed up only a few minutes later with a suitcase in hand. I apologized for the furniture, or lack thereof, and she said that she would be fine. She had apparently spent many nights in a hospital with Carlisle.

"Esme?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Carlisle seemed wary to tell me something yesterday. I asked him what had happened to me to make me forget everything, and he said that he could not explain it all here. Can you?" I asked.

"Bella, I can't. I was not there. Carlisle would know more than me on this subject. Maybe try asking him again in a few days," she said with her voice full of compassion.

I slept peacefully during the day and that night. In the morning, Esme asked if I would like for her to come again. I quickly agreed, and she said that she had a few errands to run but she would be back soon. She walked out, telling Carlisle to make sure that I was not alone. I wonder what had happened during the night to make her feel this way.

Later on that day, a boy came into my room. I did not know who he was, which was not surprising. He seemed short and lanky, with darker skin. He must have spent some time in the sun.

"Bella, do you remember me?" he asked. I was getting sick of these questions, so I just shook my head no, and he continued.

"I'm Jacob Black. Your father and my father are best friends. We used to hang out when we were little on the reservation. You came a while ago again. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I had heard the news but decided to see you when you were up," he said. He seemed sweet and really considerate.

"I'm fine, just a little banged up. Thanks for coming," I said, smiling. He seemed to have an aura around him that was full of sunshine. He was my personal sun in the hospital full of rain.

"No problem. So, when are they going to let you out? Maybe we can hang out sometime."

"I'm not sure when, but that sounds great. Charlie should know when I come out, and I will tell him to let you know as soon as I can," I said, smiling. At least I had something to look forward to when I was released.

"Okay, cool. Well, I hate to be a bother, but I need to go. I just wanted to say hi and see how you were," he said, saddened by the fact that he could not stay long. I wonder why.

"Thanks again!"

He chuckled when he left the room. Esme came back soon after, followed by Carlisle. Carlisle made sure that everything was okay and then left again.

After two weeks of the same schedule, Carlisle decided that I was ready to go home. He suggested that I take it easy and that I should not force my memory upon myself (which I had no intention of doing). He would check up on me at home every two days. He also talked to Charlie about having Alice and Esme stay over to help me out. Charlie said it was because his job as a police chief required long and hard hours. He agreed though, so Esme and Alice would switch out every two days when Carlisle would come and check-up on me. Charlie thanked Carlisle and off we went. Alice followed us home, ready to take on the duties of helping me out first. I hope this goes well.

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**Playlist:  
This was written at two in the morning (and then revised), so there was none. I don't remember the song that I had stuck in my head at the time. I think it was something odd...**

**Liked it? Hated it? Let me know! We finally found out about Bella's problem; Jacob and the Cullens come into the story. (NOTE: I am not a Team Jacob fan, but he is in this story for two reasons. One: It was part of the challenge description. Two: What would _Twilight_ be without Jacob? Personally, though, I want to La Push him off a cliff, but he is a vital part of the story. You can write all the mean comments you want about that... I am trying to portray Jacob as not a hated figure, which somewhat sucks...)**

**You got enough blabbing from me. So, let me hear you blab. Click the review button and let me know what you think! Hopefully, the next chapter will be up asap. Reviews make me happy!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Story

**Hey hey! I'm back with a new chapter! For two stories... It's amazing, I swear. **

**So, here's the deal of why it's been awhile. I swore I was going to have it up earlier in the week, but things happened. I wrote the chapter, sent it to my beta who thought it was somewhat non-realistic. I then rewrote the ending and sent it back to her. So, sorry about the wait, but a lot of things, including this, has been happening. **

**Enjoy! This is Chapter 6, which means Edward's point of view!!! YAY!!!**

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As I walked into the house, I noticed that everyone welcomed me with open arms. It felt good, but at the same time, it felt like something was missing. It seemed as if something had been going on with my family had caused them pain. I knew that it would not be about me, for I was here in front of them.

When I walked in, I realized that my family was hiding their thoughts from me. Carlisle was looking into reading a new book, which meant that I would never hear the end of this book until he finished it; Carlisle liked to be thorough and process everything.

Alice was missing. I did not know where she was, but I figured she would show up later. I wanted to talk to her about the future of Bella and I.

Jasper decided to think about how he was excited to see me. He couldn't help himself and started sending waves of love toward my family. I guess that is what he was feeling, but it wasn't what I was hearing.

Esme was thinking about how she felt like she had lost another son when I was gone. I knew she didn't like the idea of me gone, but I didn't know how much she would like the idea of seeing a remorseful Edward. When she started thinking about her "death," I decided that I had had enough and got out of her thoughts. I would talk to her later about this.

Rosalie was thinking about a new vehicle that she had bought. She wanted to make it go faster. Her love for fast cars was almost as much as mine. She was thinking about rebuilding the engine but was trying to figure out how she could change the existing one.

Emmett was thinking about his prize hunts. He was so excited about his new prey that he wanted to hang it on his wall. Thankfully, Esme would not let him for Rose's sake. I was scared for what he planned to do with it now.

I started to wonder what they were hiding from me. I became suspicious.

Carlisle announced that we would have a family meeting to celebrate my return. He thought that I would be able to tell them what happened and why I ran without proper notice. Of course, Alice must have known that. She must have been more trustful than I thought by not telling them. I wished I could thank her, but I could not find her anywhere. I would tell her later.

When it was time for the family meeting, Carlisle decided to start. He squeezed Esme's hand for support and then began, looking at me.

"It has been awhile since we have had one of these family meetings, but I felt as if one was needed. We have a lot to talk about. First, though, I would like for Edward to tell us where he has been and what made him decide to come back," he said, of course giving me everyone's attention. It didn't bother me, but I was scared of how my family would take my decision. Jasper, noticing my emotions, decided to help me out and send a wave of calm around the room. I nodded thanks to him and then began.

"I think all of you remember what happened at the dance studio to Bella. I decided that I would take some time off to gather my thoughts because I thought Bella had died. I went to Denali, where Tanya and her family welcomed me with open arms. Of course, after awhile, I became tired of living without my life, so I decided to come back to see the consequences of my actions. I figured that if something had happened, I would immediately finish myself off." I heard Esme gasp, but continued thanks to Jasper's calm emotions continuously rolling toward me. "If everything is okay, and that does include Bella being alive, I will stay." I finished, with an unnecessary exhale of breath.

"Don't kill yourself, Edward. She is just a pest in your life. I don't see why you like her," Rosalie said. Of course, leave it to her to ruin the day even more. When would she see Bella the way that I see her?

I let out an involuntary growl, protecting the invisible Bella inside of me. I knew she would never die in my mind, but I wanted to have new memories of her, us. Emmett put his hand on Rosalie and soothed her before she could attack me.

Esme, Jasper, and Carlisle were beyond thoughts. They seemed uncertain of what to say. Alice had a spark of hope in her mind, but I didn't let that get to me. Emmett just seemed concerned for me.

No one knew what to say for awhile; after all, no one really knew what to do in the case of a suicidal vampire. When Carlisle finally spoke, it was much needed.

"Okay, thanks for your speech." _And warning, although I would never allow it,_ he thought. "Edward, I do have good news for you: Bella is alive and well. She is at home as we speak. Alice is with her now. Esme and Alice have been taking turns helping Bella out while Charlie is at work. She will be back in a few days. You could probably go over there, if you would like. Bella has been thinking about you," he said with a hint of worry in his voice. I didn't know what it was for, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. Nevertheless, he was blocking his mind from me, so I didn't have a choice. I was grateful that she was alive, but the impatience of not knowing what happened to make Carlisle worry took over; I would have time for happiness later, as long as Bella was alive and well.

"I want to lay low for awhile. I think she hates me," I said, guessing that that is why Carlisle was worrying. I put my head in my hands, knowing that they could still hear me if I talked. "I wouldn't blame her… after what happened. I hate myself. What happened after I left, Carlisle?" I asked, trying to put my family's attention on someone else. I hated my family's thoughts of sympathy for me; I didn't want them to feel sorry for me. I wanted to see Bella when she didn't hate me and was all better.

"She suffered a lot," Carlisle said, hearing my intake of breath. "She had a broken leg, four broken ribs, extreme bruising, and some cracks in her skull. Oh, and the nurses had to give her a few transfusions because she lost a lot of blood. She doesn't remember it, though."

I fell out of my chair and onto the ground. I didn't care; the only thing I cared for was Bella, my heart, my soul, and my life. She suffered extreme pain all because of me. I knew she would probably not admit that it was my fault if she was the stubborn Bella that I knew. She would say that it was her fault for whatever she thought happened.

Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett came over to me. Through my thinking, I didn't notice that they were on side of me until I finally looked up. They had expressions of worry for me on their faces and in their minds.

Carlisle whispered the words that broke me out of my reverie. "Edward, she is going to be okay. She is home and the only scar that she has is that of her bruises and her broken leg."

I instantly shot up, okay for once. I would go see her once she was healed. I would be her saving angel. I just hope she doesn't hate me.

The next few days were the worst. Alice came back, telling me all about her visions of me. She said that she doesn't want to see a repeat. I told her that she shouldn't if Bella is okay.

She told me of one of them, the most disturbing one by far. "Bella was a vampire. She was so _beautiful_, Edward. You should keep your mind set to this. I know you will be surprised. There is NO getting into my head to see this one. You are going to have to see it for yourself when you change her," she said as she walked out of the room, her pixie-black hair blowing in the wind. I knew she had been changed to help me and Jasper. **Alice was a saving angel for both of us; she always knew what to do.**

After about a week with Esme and Alice trading shifts and Carlisle visiting in between, I decided that it would be a good idea to talk to Bella. I would prove my love back for her, no matter how much she hated me; I hated myself, but I was determined to redeem myself to the one person who matters to me. I didn't even deserve this, but I thought it was for the best.

I decided to take my Volvo to Bella's house, hoping that she would like to go for a ride with me. Of course, she knew our "secret," but I needed to also keep up appearances in case Charlie would come back earlier than usual; I didn't know what was normal now.

After a very short and fast drive, I arrived at Bella's house. Esme was there with her, and I knew that she would not mind me borrowing Bella for a bit. She might even love it, considering she had been begging me to see Bella. I just hoped Esme recognized me because I just ran in the house, too impatient to knock.

Esme seemed not to mind the fact that I was in the house. I stopped by the door, hoping to not interrupt anything. At the same time, Bella asked my mom a question that ripped me even further.

"Esme, will you tell me something?" Bella asked, hoping for an answer.

"Of course, Bella. What would you like to know?" Esme asked, patting Bella's head. Knowing Alice was here before Esme, because Bella's hair was fixed and styled. Bella probably had on the newest fashions, since she couldn't protest with a broken leg.

"Can you tell me about Edward?" Bella asked. _Why is she asking this? Shouldn't she already know?_ I thought

Esme hesitated before answering. I guess she knew I was by the door. I also hesitated, wondering why Bella would not know this information. What would Esme tell her?

"Edward is a fine young man. He loves you dearly, you know. I adopted him when he was quite young; he was only 6 months old at the time. His parents had died of the flu when Carlisle was working at the hospital; he doesn't remember them. I remember he was such a cute little angel. The world seemed to brighten when I came to visit Carlisle and he was there. His mother wouldn't let him out of her sight, that poor thing. When she passed on, Carlisle wanted to adopt him. I couldn't have children, but I had always wanted some. We filed the adoption papers, and he was ours. He was such an angel growing up too. He never caused any trouble, unlike his brother, Emmett. He loves you. He should be coming home soon," she said, with a little note of sympathy at the end. She patted Bella's head again, trying to let Bella know that it was okay and she should calm down. She didn't seem so calm herself. Her thoughts were screaming panicked thoughts around her mind. _Edward, you can come in now. I know you are there. I am so sorry that you had to find out like this, but Bella has amnesia. She can't remember anything, including you. Carlisle wanted you to find out by yourself. So sorry,_ Esme thought, trying to form coherent sentences. _Would you like to come in?_ she asked. I whispered that I wouldn't the lowest that I could, not wanting Bella to hear. I had my mind made up when I started listening to Esme's "cover" for our relationship. I guess she wanted Bella to lead a normal life now; one without fairy tale creatures. I would help her out by not letting Bella know one of them: myself.

I went back home, hoping for something from Alice. I hadn't gotten to talk to her about the future, and I didn't know what to do. Bella couldn't remember us, so she couldn't remember our secret. Would Bella ever remember? Am I going to accept the fact that Bella don't remember? What am I going to do? How will Bella get her memory back if she does? What does she see now?

As soon as the car was back in the garage, I instantly started running to my room. I wanted to be alone for now. If Alice wanted to come, she would know that the door is open. I hoped she would.

Of course, Alice had seen this and danced into my room. She came sat next to me on my sofa, and she started rubbing my shoulder.

"Do I need to get Jasper in here? He could control your emotions, if you want," she said, concerned. She didn't want me to be hurt, and I knew she would do anything for me to be normal again. If she could, she would have changed Rosalie into a human again. She would do anything to keep the family happy.

I didn't say anything, but I thought that that would help. She instantly saw that I did in my vision, and she ran to get him. The couple came in a few seconds later holding hands.

"Edward, Bella is going to be okay. I can't see if she will remember everything, but I do know that you two will be happy once everything gets situated. Edward, just trust me when I say that I know you feel horrible about this. It wasn't your fault. James tricked us all. She is still alive, which is something. I can see you will be okay once you finally get this into your head. Why don't you go visit Bella tomorrow? I'll tell you all about her tonight," she said. I immediately felt calm, but I knew this was due to Jasper's hand on my shoulder. I would never be calm unless Jasper was here.

I nodded my head, too calm to speak. Alice looked at Jasper, and I felt some of the calmness disappear.

"Let's see. I seen that you found out Bella has amnesia. She doesn't know much. She remembers only the basic necessities. Don't feel bad; she didn't even know her own name in the hospital. She can remember things after the incident, but she can't remember things before. We have been telling her the human side of stories because we don't think that she is ready for the vampire version. We aren't trying to push her out of our lives like you thought. Carlisle doesn't think it would be smart to tell her our secret until she knows more about herself.

"Carlisle doesn't think her memories are going to come back; she had a lot of head trauma. Although he hopes that she will come to remember things, he doubts it.

"Carlisle believes that we should try to help Bella remember things, but we shouldn't force it upon her. Esme and I have tried showing her common momentous in her life, but she has not responded by remembering anything. We think that the only other hope is seeing you or hearing your melodies. Please give her a chance, Edward. I think you can help her more than we can. Please… Please… Please…Please…" she started showing me her puppy dog eyes.

"Alice, I will try. I can't guarantee anything, though. I wouldn't do this for anyone except Bella and you," I said. She knew what I was going to do before I spoke, and she was more delighted to hear my answer. Some of the answer probably weighed on Jasper's emotional manipulation, but I didn't care at the moment. I would help Bella.

"I'm trading shifts with Esme tomorrow. Why don't you come with me? Before you say something, I could tell you how she will react. I'll bring Jasper too, if he doesn't mind." She looked at Jasper with such a loving manner before he nodded. "You can see her then! I'm off!" She left, Jasper following.

I thought about what I should say before I left to go to Bella's house that night. I would bring her here so she can hear me play the piano. That might spark up something, I hoped.

"Edward, come on! I have everything ready to go in the car," Alice yelled from downstairs.

"I'm coming," I said. _Please let this visit be okay. I don't want anything more to happen,_ I thought as I got in the car and Alice sped off.

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**Playlist:  
**

Monsters (Matchbook Romance)

Don't You Fake It (The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)

Your Call (Secondhand Serenade)

You Learn (Alanis Morisette)

Hallelujah (live with intro from Leonard Cohen) (Paramore)

Grand Theft Autumn (Fall Out Boy)

Pages (There for Tomorrow)

Eleanor Rigby (Panic at the Disco when they were together :()

Never Say 'I Told You So' (The Almost)

Send My Love To the Dancefloor, I'll See You In H*** (Cobra Starship... FANGS UP!!!)

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**Did you like it? Did you not?? Well, I won't know unless you click the review button. It doesn't bite... Trust me.**

**LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK PLEASE**


	7. Chapter 7: Brand New

**Okay, here is another chapter. WHOOHOO!!! This one is from Bella's point of view. **

**It is a tad bit shorter than the other chapters. I didn't want to put anything else in this chapter because it would have been longer and given away a lot that I wanted to give away in Edward's point of view. Which means that major things should happen next chapter (YAY!). So, stay tuned... I hope to get it out soon. **

**Oh, I believe that the last few lines are strikingly similar to Eclipse. I couldn't figure out what else to put. I told you that I would only put this message once, but since there is a line similar, I will put it again. Stephenie Meyer owns pretty much everything. Like the characters (I control them, but I try to stay as close to non-OOC as I can get, so that's hers too), the story. There is no copyright infringement intended. Also, the idea belongs to my beta and challenger, .Scotland. So, I own pretty close to zip nothing. Besides the way the words are on the screen :D I found something. **

**One more thing before I continue. Thanks to my amazing reviewers. I had 2 of them last chapter from Lil' Confederate Soldier Girl and from ABalletEmpress. Thanks again! **

**Enough blabbing. Behold the spectacle of Chapter 7: Brand New (from Bella's point of view). Enjoy!!!!**

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When I got home, Alice was holding the door open for me. She helped me out and into the house. It was small, but it seemed quite homey. I didn't know where my bedroom is, but I knew that Alice would show me.

"Erm… Excuse the mess. I've been a nervous wreck these past few weeks worrying about you instead of cleaning. I hope you don't mind," Charlie said, nervous.

"It's fine, Dad," I said as Alice looked around the place. She seemed to disapprove. Charlie seemed uncomfortable and went to sit on the couch.

Charlie tried to stay down-low, not wanting to get in anyone's way. He was extremely grateful to the Cullens for helping me with my amnesia and broken leg. He did not want to make Esme or Alice's work harder, so he stayed out of the way.

Alice, noticing my discomfort at not being able to go to my room, walked me up to my room. She didn't seem to mind carrying me up the stairs since I couldn't walk. Charlie noticed that this would be a hazard, but he was gracious that Alice could carry me. Alice had also explained that Esme could also, so Charlie and I were extremely grateful.

Alice decided to make my two days with her a living hell. Turns out, Alice is an extreme shopaholic who needs therapy. She decided to dress me up in all of the latest fashions for hours on end.

She also rearranged my wardrobe. My sweats for sleeping were replaced with top-of-the-line pajamas. My whole wardrobe seemed to consist of expensive, new clothes. Of course, once I wore an outfit, Alice took it. She said that she was going to give it to the homeless. I imagined the homeless wearing expensive fashions. I had to admit, that was a pretty odd picture.

While trying on clothes, I decided to start questioning Alice. "Alice, can I ask you some questions about my life?" I seemed too nervous.

"Sure, Bella. What would you like to know?"

"How do you have so much money?" I asked.

"Well, Carlisle has been a doctor for awhile now. Also, a lot of his money is in the stock market. Esme likes to gamble and Emmett and Jasper like to bet others. We are very lucky people, you see," she said, flashing a glance in my direction. I wondered what that was for.

"Oh okay. Well, how well did I know your family?"

"You knew us well, I guess you could say. You had come over to our house once, but you knew everyone before then from school or the hospital. Carlisle tended to deal with your issues in the ER. Edward, who's not here right now, was your boyfriend. Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and I all went to school with you," Alice said.

"What about school? How will I go to school? What will happen?" I asked, panicking. I didn't remember anything, but I needed an education. Will I have to start over from the beginning?

"Bella, calm down. You are going to be fine. You are going to start going when Carlisle releases you. You are still under his care. Esme and I are going to try to jog your memory," Alice said, calming me down.

"Well, what about you? How will you go to school when you are here?" I asked.

"I will be fine, Bella. Don't worry about me."

The questions ended. Alice could tell that I was tired. After making me try on about a million pairs of pajamas, Alice finally let me go to sleep. She slept on the floor, saying that it wasn't a problem.

The next day seemed like the same thing. Alice thought that I needed a break from my home, so we went to the mall. Alice put me in a wheelchair and pushed me around the stores instead of carrying me. She also stacked her clothes loot on me. By the end of the trip, I could not see. The clothes were blocking my view.

I went to bed peacefully that night. Alice went home the next morning when Carlisle came.

"Everything seems to be healing right, Bella. How is your memory?" he asked.

"I can't remember anything. It's making me mad. How will I go to school?" I asked, nervous.

"Bella, calm down. You will be fine. I will not send you to school until you are ready, physically and mentally. Do you have any other questions?" he asked, soothing me.

I shook my head no. With that, Esme came in the door and Carlisle walked out.

Esme was much easier to be around. She seemed to be more motherly than Alice.

"Hello, dear. Do you need anything? Are you hungry?" she asked. I shook my head no.

Esme was always caring. She made sure I got up at a certain time, and she even cooked me my meals. They were extremely delicious. Charlie even agreed.

Alice and Esme continued to trade shifts. I preferred Esme, but I understood that they had to trade out. After all, they were probably worn out with a girl who knows nothing and needs help to walk. I felt so bad, but I was grateful for their new duties.

Esme routinely brought me to her house, which was more of a mansion. I was really excited to talk to the family. Everyone seemed really open and gracious to see me. Of course, someone would routinely help me get to the bathroom or stand up. Of all these people, Rosalie never helped. She seemed more distant towards me than the rest of the family. It was like she hated me.

I decided to ask Esme about Rosalie's animosity.

"Bella, it is nothing against you. She just wishes that she could know her real parents. They died in a horrible car accident," Esme said. I felt bad for Rosalie, but I still did not understand her hatred fully. She had Carlisle and Esme, which was more than I could imagine.

It was about a week before I decided to ask about Edward. Esme was the one taking care of me, so I felt more comfortable asking her about her adoptive son.

"Edward is a fine young man. He loves you dearly, you know. I adopted him when he was quite young; he was only 6 months old at the time. His parents had died of the flu when Carlisle was working at the hospital; he doesn't remember them. I remember he was such a cute little angel. The world seemed to brighten when I came to visit Carlisle and he was there. His mother wouldn't let him out of her sight, that poor thing. When she passed on, Carlisle wanted to adopt him. I couldn't have children, but I had always wanted some. We filed the adoption papers, and he was ours. He was such an angel growing up too. He never caused any trouble, unlike his brother, Emmett. He loves you. He should be coming home soon," she said tenderly, but nervously. It was as if Edward would walk through the door now.

"Oh, okay."

On one day, Esme decided to keep me at home. She decided that it would be better for me to stay home for awhile. I agreed.

Later in the day, the phone rang. Esme handed it to me, mouthing your mother.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Bella! It's your mom. How are you?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm okay, mom. Esme and Alice are a great help to me. Alice even cleaned up the house for Charlie."

"How is your memory?" she seemed saddened because I couldn't remember a thing.

"I still can't remember anything. Esme and Alice have been trying to make me remember everything. It's not working though," I said.

"Oh. Sorry about leaving you in the hospital. Phil called, and he had a baseball incident. He wanted me to be there because he had broken a few bones. He couldn't do anything. I'm really sorry about that," she said, saddened.

"It's okay. How is he?" I asked.

"He's doing better. He got a job in Florida, where he hurt himself. You are going to love it down here!"

"What do you mean?" I was confused. Why would I love it down there? I am going to stay up here, in this town.

"We are getting a house down here. Pretty soon, you can come back. Phil and I can take care of you, don't worry," she said.

"Mom, what are you talking about? I am going to stay here, in Forks. I am already accustomed here," I said, upset that she would even consider that idea. I didn't take it to heart, and I soon forgave her mentally.

"What do you mean, Bella? You hated it down there before…" she said.

"I am going to stay in Forks with Charlie. I like it up here now," I said.

"Well, okay. I have to go. Phil's getting up. I hope to see you soon!" With that, she hung up.

Esme took the phone from me when Renee hung up. Saddened at the fact that my mom wanted me to move, I decided that I was going to go to sleep. Esme soon brought me back upstairs from the kitchen to my room. I thanked her and soon went to sleep.

Alice came to trade shifts with Esme. My two days of Bella's dressing up began. It was ended when Esme came back two days later.

When Esme arrived, she decided that she would go grocery shopping for the house. Charlie was in need of more food, but he did not have the time or patience to go shopping. Esme left me at home after I promised her I would be fine. She put me on the couch in the living room with my crutches so I can get around downstairs.

Right when she left, a knock came from the front door. Grabbing my crutches, I went to answer the door.

Jacob was at the door. "Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, Bella. I was wondering if you wanted to do something today. It's okay if you say no," he said, putting a smile on my face.

"Sure! Let me write a note to Esme. She will be worried when she comes back if I don't. Um.. Do you mind grabbing me some paper and a pen?" I asked.

"No problem. Is the phone pad good?" he asked.

"It's perfect," I said as he handed it to me.

_Esme, _I wrote,

_Jacob came to see me. He wanted to know if we could do something. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. I think I need some fresh air. _

_Sincerely,_

_Bella_

"There we go. That should do it," I said as I signed my name.

Jacob picked me up and brought me to his truck. "What do you want to do today?" he asked.

"Anything!" I said, glad to be out of the house.

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**As always, review. They give me inspiration to write. You never know what you may get. HEHE... Good snippet planned. :D**

**I am hoping to put another chapter up tomorrow. This, of course, means that everything would go in my favor (typically it doesn't). I am leaving on vacation Thursday and won't be back until the following Friday, so I wanted to update before I left. I don't know if I will be able to update tomorrow (it may be at night again... I tend to get a better response at night), but I hope I will be able to. **

**I am off. Please review. My sanity depends on it at times.**


	8. Chapter 8: Surprise

**Hello all! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I went on vacation for a week. It was really fun. I had this chapter from my beta before, but I was not able to update before I left. If you are wondering, I did change my penname (not by much) from Alicebrandoncullen to xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx, so yeah. I just like the x's in between. I don't know why. :D**

**Anyway, chapter 8 is finally here! It is from Edward's point of view. I am warning you now before you read it that the chapter does have a minor cliffy, and it has a lot of details. Also, a theme is present in this chapter. More later because I don't want to give it away.**

**Lastly, another amazing thanks to my beta, .Scotland for helping me out. She's really an amazing author and you should check out her stories. I personally love them. :D**

**With that said (more like rambled, but whatever), I bring you chapter 8: Surprise.**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**

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Alice was ready to trade shifts with Esme, even though it had been only a day. She couldn't wait for me to see Bella again.

When we got to Bella's, Alice walked in. There was a foul smelling stench in the house, but I ignored it. As long as Bella wasn't hurt, I would be okay. Also, Esme was nowhere to be seen.

"Esme?" I called from the kitchen.

Alice had a vision then. I took a peak in her thoughts to find out what it was. _Esme was grocery shopping for the house. She would not be back for a few minutes. I was nowhere to be seen when she came in. Bella still had not come home._

To me, her vision made no sense. Why wouldn't I be there? Where was Bella?

Alice, sensing my next thought, looked towards the future for answers. _Bella… _Nothing! Her vision was blank. Something was wrong.

I was off in a second. I didn't know where Bella could be. I could smell her scent, but it ended in the driveway. I silently cursed and walked back in the door.

Alice seemed really confused. She had never seen nothing before except when people were dead. She tried to shield her thoughts from me, but I instantly knew what had happened.

I ran off without a second glance at Bella's house. I had one destination in mind: Italy.

I heard Alice trying to reason with me, but both of us knew that I could not be reasoned with. Bella, my Bella, was dead. I hope it wasn't painful.

Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle were behind me, but they could not catch up with me. I knew subconsciously that it would end badly if they did catch up, so I sped up even faster.

I didn't have time for a plane. My brothers and father would be able to track me down if I got on a plane. It would take forever to finally take off. I would just run the whole way, and I would swim in the parts that I can't.

My followers decided to give up in Iowa. I continued running; I would make it there with no pit-stops.

-A FEW HOURS LATER. EDWARD IS NOW ON THE BORDER OF ITALY-

I knew what I would do once I got there. I would beg the Volturi to kill me. They could do this, right? For me?

Apparently, it was some special occasion in Volterra. I hope they would let me in. I wouldn't cause a distraction unless they rejected my offer. Then, the crowd would help create a spectacle for me. I would think about that when the time came.

I was let in by the security guards. It wasn't sunny outside, so I was able to walk around without being noticed. Of course, some people did notice that I was not normal. They quickly hated themselves for that thought suddenly after they thought it. I smirked and continued going.

I instantly went down to where the clandestine Volturi were. The receptionist was very friendly even though I had woken her up. From her thoughts, I gathered her name was Gianna.

"Hello. What can I do for you today, sir?" she asked.

"Is Aro in today? I would like to ask a favor of him," I said, trying to get my way. Not very many vampires were allowed to see our royalty. I hoped that I was an exception to that rule and would be allowed to see them.

"Please sit down there. I will go find him," she said.

"Okay, thank you. Please tell him that I am Edward Cullen, a friend of Carlisle," I said as politely as I could manage. I hadn't hunted in quite awhile. My eyes must have been really black. Only now did I realize that I needed to hunt. Pretty soon, though, my vampire troubles will be of no use. I went to sit on the chair that she pointed at.

She came back in within a few minutes.

"You may come in. Aro would like to see you," she said.

"Thank you."

Gianna led me to Aro. He seemed quite excited. His thoughts explained it all. _I heard that he can read minds from afar. That would be amazing and an excellent addition to our family. I wonder if he would accept. What would he be here for anyway?_ He asked himself with a laugh. I smirked. He was completely off by a long shot.

"Why hello, Edward! What brings you here today?" he asked, enthralled.

"I was wondering if I could ask for a favor," I said, weighing each word carefully, hoping he didn't take my mood in the wrong way. I tried to make myself happier, but it didn't seem to work.

"Why, Edward, you know we don't do much favors, right? I'm sure my dear friend, Carlisle, would have told you that! If I may be so curious, what is it you would like?" he asked. Of course Carlisle had told me this a long time ago. Once again, I hoped I would be an exception.

"I have heard Carlisle mention this. I hoped you would make an exception. I would like you to rid me of this world. I do not wish to be in existence anymore."

Aro came closer so he could get my inner thoughts. I reached my hand out. Carlisle had told me of his gift once. I knew that he would want to use it on me.

Once Aro had his necessary information, he began to start talking again. "Why, Edward, does this have anything to do with your dear Bella, a human?" he said with a growl. He didn't find the thought of a vampire-human relationship as great as he usually took everything else.

"Why, yes, it does. For, I cannot live in a world without her," I said.

"But, a human?! She is just simply food. How can you resist her, especially when she smells so appetizing?" he asked.

"She is not just food," I argued, completely offended that he would think of Bella as food. "It is with both great restraint and great pleasure that I resist. She is amazing," I said, dreamily. "Carlisle has taught me well. We preserve human life as a treasure," I said.

"But still, _la tua cantante_, she sings to you!" he seemed amazed.

"I find it within myself to restrain from drinking her. I am rewarded with many pleasurable moments with her, as you have seen in my innermost thoughts."

"Edward, you do know that we do not have any vampires come to us for death. In all my years of existence, I have never seen a spectacle such as this!" he explained.

"Aro, I beg of you to kill me. I am no use to this world."

"Quite on the contrary, my dear Edward. Your power would be very useful as a member of our family. Would you care to accept our hand?" he asked, hoping for a yes. He would not take no for an answer.

Weighing my words carefully, I started. "As enticing as that sounds, would you mind if I thought about this? After all, it would be a huge alteration to my being."

"That is no problem, my future brother. Please let me know what you think in a timely manner. I hope hear from you soon with a response. Bye for now!" he said.

"Thank you, my dear Aro. I will correspond shortly," I said, while leaving.

While walking out, I realized that I would need a different tactic. My mind went over many options to consider.

Walking in the sunlight? No, that wouldn't be too theatrical for my taste.

Lifting up a car in the middle of a street? No. That would simply be too simple.

Killing spree in the city? No. That would disappoint Carlisle and the rest of my family. I do not want to disappoint them in my last act.

I sat there for a full hour thinking about many different options. None of them fit my taste.

I would lift up a car. It would be simple, but it would attract an audience. It would suit my theatrical side. I could lift up a heavy car for my thoughts. Maybe I could do it with people in it.

I was about to do it. I was edging to a car with four passengers in it.

NO! I would not do this. It would scare the people in the car, which I did not want.

I decided on my theory to rid myself. Sure, the Volturi could not conceal this from getting out. The town would be exposed for what they really are.

I would do this suicide mission today at noon. It was March 19, St. Marcus Day, the day in which Marcus rid the city of vampires. I laughed to myself before hiding in an alley. They would find out later just how well Marcus did. He, as a vampire, would not be too happy. He would want me exterminated on the spot for ruining his holiday.

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**I hope you liked it. It's starting to come back to the whole _New Moon_ theme. I like to try to make the books make sense even with the fanfiction. I know, it's fanfiction, but I like for it still to make sense. I don't know why. **

**Also, my beta is on vacation. This is the last chapter that I have that she revised for me. I kind of write them, send it to her, and then post them, so I do not have the whole story planned out. She will be back on Tuesday of next week, so there may be a huge break from the updating thing. I do not like to post stories without my beta knowing and having looked over them. Trust me, it's for the best interest. I will, however, still write. I am thinking about having a lot of chapters written when she comes back and just sending them off to her randomly. School starts later this month, so it is definitely going to be hectic trying to get stuff up. Also, I may do a few one shots or short stories. I have one up, called Edward's Pain. Check it out! I should update my other story, A New Dawn, more frequently. I want to try to get that one finished by the end of the summer. Plus, a few one shots never killed anyone. So, yeah. Suscribe to my author alerts, and you will find amazingness. :D Sorry about not being able to update soon. **

**Also, if you are thinking about commiting suicide, DON'T. Always remember that there are people that you have and have not met that love you and would die if you did. Trust me, it's not worth it. Talk to your friends and family about it once it happens. DON'T TRY TO GO THROUGH IT ALONE!!! Also, the suicide hotline is always open if you can't find anyone to talk to. The number is 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). People are always there to help you out. Of course, if you need to talk about anything, you can always email or PM me. I usually check my email (including the PMs) at least 6 times a day, so I can be reached. It doesn't have to just be about that. If you want someone to talk to or whatnot, just write me. My email is on my profile on the link that says email. You have to confirm that you are a human (which you are... not that hard), and then you can get it.**

**Okay, wow. I rambled A LOT. I needed to get a few things out of the way, but managed to get a lot of other information in. Sorry about that. -sad- **

**Please review! They make me happy. Of course, once you do, you get a little sneak-peak into the chapter and a gold coin! WHOOHOO... Just because my beta is out does not mean that you won't get a sneak peak. Depending on how early you review, you may get a bigger peak. :D So please review. Also, they help me to write. **

**Without anymore rambling, I will go. **

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	9. Chapter 9: Italy

**Hey guys! **

**First off, let me say that I am sorry for the lack of updating. There were some crazinesses going on in both my beta's and my life. **

**Also, the updates that were frequent will not stay the same. Please bare with me for this. I just got back at school, so it is definitely different and harder to update all the time. I will try the best I can. Also, one of my one shot ideas turned into a story. **

**Okay, I had a reviewer mention something very important: Jacob turning into werewolf/shapeshifter mode. :D Jacob has still not been converted. In my mind, Alice cannot see anyone on the La Push reservation. That's why. Jacob is about ready to explode, so his werewolf genes are potent. Sorry about that. It would have been covered soon, but I realize that it wasn't yet. I thought it needed to be said. **

**I think that is about it. Sorry about the lack of updates. I really am, but there is nothing that I can do. :( Trust me, it makes me sad too. **

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**

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Jacob and I ended up at his house after going to the beach. It was great to be with him. He didn't look down on me, and he didn't mind that I didn't remember memories from before. If it was something important, he would let me know what I missed.

Jacob and I were snuggling on the couch when I looked at the time. 6:30 p.m. Shoot! Esme was waiting for me by now.

I got up off the couch after getting off of Jacob. He looked at me questioningly as I panicked.

"Esme is waiting for me. I need to get home!" I panicked.

He was by my side in an instant. "Don't worry, Bella. I'll bring you home now. Let me get my keys," he said, going to the counter.

Soon, Jacob and I were in Billy's truck to go home. I hoped Esme wasn't that worried. I left her a note.

When Jacob got to my house, I ran out, thanking him over my shoulder. He mumbled a welcome and then I went into the house.

"Esme? Are you here? It's Bella. I'm back," I said, hoping that she could hear me. If she was anywhere in the vicinity of the house, she would.

I felt arms snake around my waist. I immediately freaked out; my breath became heavy and frequent.

"Relax, Bella. It's just me," she said, turning me around. Once I heard her, I immediately stopped freaking out. When I seen her eyes, I started again. She truly looked like a vampire. Her eyes were really dark, and they were slanted.

"Alice! What is going on?" I asked.

"Bella, it's Edward. Speaking of which, where were you today?" she questioned back.

"Jacob came over. I left Esme a note," I said, pointing to the counter. There, a note sat, untouched. By now, I was on the sofa, explaining myself. "Jacob wanted to know if I wanted to go to the reservation with him, and I quickly agreed. I wanted to get out of here. Was that okay?" I asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"I guess, but why can I not see Jacob?" she asked, mainly to herself.

"I don't know, Alice. But, can you please tell me what is wrong with Edward?" I asked, worrying about a random person I haven't met since the accident.

"Bella, he made it home, and he was coming to see you when you left with Jacob. I couldn't see, and he flipped out. He is going to go to Italy and kill himself," she said. I took this all in as she said her final sentence. "We need to stop him, Bella."

"What are we doing here?" I questioned. I was willing to save this vampire that I didn't know. Apparently, he cared about me a lot.

"Bella, it's a suicide mission. If he does die, I will be imprisoned with him. You will be a meal for vampires. Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"Alice, come on. Tell me what I need to do. I am sure I want to save Edward," I said.

"You need to write a note for Charlie. He will be wondering about you. I'll book the plane. Do you have a passport?" she questioned before running upstairs. "Yes, you do. Thank goodness!" she said.

_Charlie, _I wrote.

_It's Bella. Alice said that Edward was in trouble and she wanted me to help him. I am going with her to save him. I'll be back as soon as I can. I can't promise you when. Please don't do anything rash. I am with Alice. _

_Love ya always,_

_Bella_

"Alice, I finished with the note," I said.

"Okay, I booked the next flight out. Come on and get in my car!" she yelled.

I walked slowly to her car. It was more like a Mercedes, but I didn't know who it belonged to.

"I don't understand everything. Can you please explain everything?" I asked as we took off in the car.

Alice began to explain about the Volturi, a huge royal family in Italy. Carlisle's parents had died when he was young also, and Carlisle was sent to live with them. When Carlisle became older, he decided that he would help people that went through the same thing. Edward went there because Alice couldn't see me (apparently he can read everyone's mind, save mine and Alice could see the future. It's what drove her parents off the deep end). Edward was really in love with me. He thought I had died, and he was planning to join me in death. So, he went to Italy and was going to ask for his grandparents to kill him. I thought he was a little overdramatic because he could have died some other way. I guess that's just how he wanted to go out. Our future depended on their answer. If they said no, he would bide some time. We would be able to get him. If they killed him, we would be supper or dead depending on the blood.

I eventually fell asleep on the plane and was woken up various times to catch a different plane or for an update that Alice would bring me.

Once, I was woken up for an important update. It was the one that Alice had been waiting for: the Volturi's decision.

"Bella, wake up. I have an update!" Alice said, hyper. Then again, when is Alice ever not hyper.

"Huh?" I asked, still half sleeping. "What's wrong?" I asked again.

"Bella, nothing is wrong! Don't be so pessimistic. I found out the decision that the Volturi made!" she seemed more hyped than usual.

"What did they say?" I asked, only half concerned. I was more concerned about sleeping.

"They have decided to tell him that they would not kill him," she said. "If only I could see what he was going to do before," she continued before her eyes glazed over yet again.

It was almost enough time for me to fall asleep when her vision finished. Noticing that I was sleeping, she just decided to let me doze off.

When I awoke, we were in Italy. Alice had woke me up to get off of the plane and into an unknown car. Looking at her watch, she looked at me weirdly.

"What?" I asked.

"Bella, how opposed are you to Grand Theft Auto?" she asked back.

Soon, we were in a car going to the Volturi. I fell back asleep when we passed into the next city, but was woken up when Alice asked me what day it was.

"I really don't know," I replied, feeling self-conscious. Alice usually only asked questions that I would know so it was different when I didn't know.

"Bella, it's the seventeenth. It's the day when Marcus of the Volturi drove all of the vampires out of town. There is a huge festival going on today. They will be mad when Edward ruins the day," she said while waiting in line.

_Edward's grandparents must be really famous from before. Some of the Cullen's wealth might come from that also,_ I thought.

All of the cars were parking somewhere. I saw a huge chunk of money and then we were escorted through a different gate.

"Alice, what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Bella, you are going to have to run to a tower when I tell you to. Edward will be standing there. He is going to go in the sun if you don't get there in time. You see, Edward is planning to mock the Volturi by dressing up as a vampire and sparkling in the sunlight," Alice said.

I nodded before Alice stopped the car.

"Bella, you are going to have to run from here. He's going to be at that clock tower," she said, pointing to a huge tower. "If you get lost, please ask for the clock tower," she said, before giving me an Italian word.

I nodded and jumped out of the car, running for my dear life. I tried not to trip, and I was successful for the most part.

"Edward!" I started screaming when I got closer.

"Edward!" I continued to scream, running into people.

I seen a person who appeared to look just like Alice, but totally different. They had the same pale skin and black eyes that the Cullens have, but he was strikingly amazing. He had golden brown tousled hair. He was also much lankier than Emmett, but he was better looking than all of the Cullen boys in my opinion. My brain realized something very important: this was Edward! I searched my brain for more, but came up short-handed.

Just then, the clock chimed noon. I had a feeling I was going to be too late as I ran to the wonderful Greek god. Edward had closed his eyes and was about to take a step forward.

"Edward!" I yelled yet again.

This time, I got a response. The man by the clock tower smiled. He still had his eyes closed.

He was about to put himself immediately in the sunlight when I ran smack into him.

He looked at me, astounded that I would be here.

"Bella?" he asked.

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**Dontcha just love cliffies? **

**So, here's the deal: the more reviews, the more inspiration I have and the earlier it is that I write while trying to manage everything else. Plus, the more emails I get reminding me that I have to update soon. :) So, please review. Thanks!**

**Reviews are love. Flames are cannibalism. **

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	10. Chapter 10: Powers

**Hey guys! Long time, no update... sorry about that. School has been hectic, to say the least. But, I am updating today, which makes me happy. I love to update. But, I have one request. Please do not think that I gave up on this story... I'm not. Once I start something, I will finish it. Simple as that. It takes me awhile to update due to school. Like I said, it's hectic. I have 2 stories that I am working on right now, and I am able to write about a page in each one a day. So, three to five days is a chapter. Then I send it to my beta (who's school is also hectic). This process takes awhile, but I think that it is well-worth it in the end. Also, I am having more inspiration to write the other story, so yeah. **

**Okay, someone asked if Bella could remember them due to a line in the last chapter. The answer is no. I guess that I am so used to writing about Bella knowing that they are vampires that I kinda forgot that she didn't know. Sorry about that, and a huge thanks to angelplusbuffyequals4ever.**

**Also, thanks to the amazing reviews. That is the only reason why I continue to this story. Don't be shy and review please. I will answer every single one of them if you enable personal messages and if you are a member. Sorry to non-members, but unless you find a way to talk besides in a review, I would be happy to. Other than that, it does not allow me to contact an anomynous person. Sorry... :( But a huge thanks to those that do review nonetheless. :D**

**So, have fun with reading. This is Edward's point of view. It is kind of fluffy at times. **

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**

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Time didn't seem to come fast enough. My mind kept on drifting to Bella. I hope she is okay up there without me for a little while. I was going to join her soon.

People were dressed in some odd outfits. I'm guessing that's what they believe "Father Marcus" dressed up as. It made me laugh that they would take this holiday to such an extreme. Marcus must be proud.

At eleven, I decided to go to the huge clock tower. It was the only shade that I could possibly find, and I needed this for another hour. I stood there, listening to the humans' thoughts.

_What is he doing? He must be a very odd boy. He should be enjoying his holiday, _one lady thought.

_I need to make sure my children stay away from him. After all, he is not even dressed appropriately. Doesn't he know that this is a holiday? No, Abigail, get away from the crazy man!_ A man thought.

_He seems kind of normal. I wonder where his parents are. I wonder if he is lost._ A lady thought as she came up to me.

"Sir, are you lost?" she asked.

"No, ma'am. Thank you though. I promised my mother I would meet her here at noon. I wanted to be early," I said, making up a lie. That one wasn't that bad.

"Oh, okay. I know your mother would be proud," she said. I knew my mother would not be proud of what I am about to do, but I had to continue living my lie for this lady. Too soon, she would find out the truth. I wonder how she would take it.

"Yes, ma'am. She will be. She taught me well," I said back, dropping the conversation. She walked away.

The clock struck noon. I would begin my death march to the sun and beyond. I closed my eyes.

"EDWARD!" I heard someone yell. The beautiful voice reminded me of my Bella. She was so beautiful.

I took another step and the voice got louder. I knew my mind was playing tricks on me, but I thanked it. At least it would give my final moments a rest.

When I was about to step directly in the sunlight and expose myself, I felt something hard crush into me. I held them up and looked up.

What I saw amazed me. It was Bella, her beauty beyond stunning to my black eyes.

"Bella?" I asked.

"Edward," she said breathless.

Just then, I saw Felix and Demetri walk out from the cave. I instantly braced myself, putting Bella behind me.

"I have not been in breach of the contract. I am still thinking about Aro's offer," I told them.

"I merely meant to point out your proximity to the sun," Felix replied. Oh.

"Perhaps we should take this to a proper venue," Demetri spoke up.

"Bella, why don't you go enjoy the festival? I will be out shortly," I said to her.

"Bring the girl," Demetri said. He couldn't get a feel of Bella. I smiled in satisfaction.

I braced myself, ready to fight. Bella put an arm on my shoulder and my troubles went away. I instantly conceded and walked Bella and I to the entrance of the Volturi's castle.

_This should be fun,_ I thought before walking in.

"Edward! It is certainly lovely to see you again!" I heard a high-pitched voice call. Alice.

"It is lovely to see you as well, Alice," I said. "What brings you and Bella here?" I asked casually, knowing that there were other ears here.

Alice showed me the memories in her head while rambling off about Esme and her taking care of Bella. She then explained what Bella was thinking.

_Bella had gone to see Jacob. I still haven't figured out why I can't see him. I am still very peeved about that. She had come back later. She had left us a note that we had not read before you jumped to a conclusion. Edward, you came to a conclusion way too fast! So, you see that fuss was over nothing at all. I really wish you wouldn't be so overdramatic sometimes. You just run off to conclusions. Don't worry, she still loves you. She doesn't know about what we are still. I have tried to deviate away from that subject," _Alice thought.

Bella became frantic during certain parts of the walk. She panicked when she was in the darkness mostly. I didn't blame her; I was scared myself.

I held Bella the whole time. She seemed to allow this for no apparent reason, but I was thankful. I figured that she would hate me after what had happened in the dance studio. I hated myself for that. I wonder if it was explained to her the right way. Then again, if she was the same Bella, she wouldn't mind. She loved me in an unconditional way even though I could not find out why.

Demetri led us to an office reception area where I was before. A lot had changed since then. I realized that I was absurd for wanting to die. Bella was really alive and well. She still couldn't remember, but I didn't mind that. I knew that our memories may be lost forever, but I knew that we would create more to replace them. My only concern was getting out of this office…alive.

While passing, the receptionist was given a flirtatious look which she quickly returned. I thought of Bella and I, and I kissed Bella's hair. I also held her tighter to me.

We also passed Alec in the hallway. He commented on my mood being better. Bella looked at me, confused. Apparently, she thought that my mood could be no worse than this.

"And this is the cause of all your troubles?" Alec continued, before laughing.

I smiled, but I still held my face due to the impending doom we would no doubt have.

"Dibs," Felix commented from behind us.

I couldn't contain the growl that came next. Nothing would happen to my dear Bella as far as I was concerned. I would make sure of that and protect that. I would swear on my grave, which may be coming soon.

"Patience," Alice said as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

Alec and Jane were talking about Aro being enthralled over company.

I nodded, and we continued walking.

I could tell that Bella was getting tired in the previous alley. I continued to just hold most of her weight while she leaned into me.

Of course, Aro was waiting in the room we were brought to; this was called the "dinner room," as they ate dinner in here. I was not too pleased with this observation.

Edward welcomed Bella and I. Bella seemed distant, like she was trying to figure out what was going on. I hoped she wouldn't.

"What a pleasure it is to see you! What brings you back? Have you decided to take us up on our offer?" Aro asked.

"I have come here to ask permission to leave. I would like to go back to Carlisle now that I know Bella is here and alive," I said politely. I could tell that Aro was okay, but Caius seemed to be disturbed.

"She knows our secret, Edward! She cannot be exposed to others for risk of her telling," Caius said. Of course, he would bring this up. Bella looked at me questioningly, but I just shook my head.

"Caius, my brother, you have a point! Can Bella remember anything?" Aro asked. He knew about Bella's amnesia from my previous thoughts.

"No, she cannot," I said blatantly.

"She is a danger to the public. What would happen if she were to remember and blurt it out, not realizing?" Aro asked.

"We should exterminate her now to save the trouble," someone said.

That was it. I broke. I jumped onto the floor, hoping to strangle Felix. The comment seemed to come from his direction.

Pain. Immense pain. I writhed on the ground, hoping two things. The first was that Bella would not see this. The other was that Jane would let up on her burning techniques. She is quite sadistic and enjoys other's pain.

Bella seemed to notice this and screamed. Jane looked up at Bella. The pain in my head finally stopped, but I was still panicked. I ran to Bella to try to protect her. Of course, this didn't work. If Bella had to go through the same pain, she wouldn't be able to take it. It would kill me inside.

Nothing. Bella was not writhing on the floor, her thoughts being burned. She just looked up at me questioningly. For the second time today, I just shook my head. This could be answered later.

"That was fun. Let's get back to work," Aro said, and I nodded.

"The question still remains of what to do with Bella," he said. I tensed, hoping for the best.

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**As always, please review. Especially if you want it to be updated earlier :D**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	11. Chapter 11: Verdict

**Hey guys! I am so sorry about the lack of updates, but I am just sooo busy. I have almost pulled a few all-nighters just this week. It sucks, but it's worth it. I am getting the best education in my state, which is saying something. So, yeah. **

**This is chapter 11 from Bella's point of view. Chapter 12 is going to be Edward's view on this issue. So, yeah.... **

**Enjoy! Review and let me know what you think also.**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**

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Chapter 11: Bella

After much "fun and games" (as Aro called it), the question still remained as to what to do with me. Everyone tensed upon hearing the elder's answer.

"Bella seems to not remember anything, so she puts our secret in huge danger. But, Bella did know our secret before she was changed, so she must be responsible," Aro, one of the many pale white people, said while my mind was occupied on trying to figure out what he meant by "secret."

"Aro, we must exterminate her. She isn't able to be trusted," another person, whom I later knew as Caius, spoke. He caused a huge growl from Edward.

"Bella can be completely trusted. I trust her with my life. So far, nothing has happened to make me regret that decision," Edward said. I looked at him with a smile on my face. He quickly returned it.

"And yet you end up in here," Caius argued. I had to admit, he had a point. Edward seemed to be in extreme danger at the moment by coming here.

"There was a problem with communication in this situation. It had nothing to do with Bella," Edward growled back.

"Guys, enough. I took both of your thoughts into consideration," Aro, clearly the leader, said. "If you would excuse us, I would like to talk to my brothers," he continued, only to us.

Edward minutely nodded his head.

After a few minutes of consideration between the "brothers" and much growling from both Edward and Alice, the elders had come to a decision.

"We have decided to use everyone's thoughts into consideration. Therefore, Bella will stay in Volterra for two weeks. If she has not remembered, she will be exterminated. If she has, she will be changed, depending on her memory capabilities. There will be accommodations made at the nearest hotel for Bella to be comfortable. If you leave, there will be consequences that will be taken into action," he said.

"Yes, Aro. Thank you for your generosity regarding this issue," Edward said, his voice strangled. I could tell that he was just trying to be nice. It was not what he wanted to say.

"No problem, my dear Edward. I will see you in two weeks, no more. You will be staying at the Villa Porta all'Arco in Volterra. It is going to be room number 2450. I will see you later. For now, Heidi will be coming," he said.

"Why thank you. We will be leaving now. See you soon," Alice said, while we were being walked out by Demetri.

"Alice, how long do we have left?" Edward asked while holding me.

"Not long, Edward, not long. I don't think we will make it out before Heidi comes," Alice replied.

Edward quickened his pace, but I could tell that it was too late. A young woman dressed in very skimpy clothing was walking into the hallway where we were. She had a group of people with her. One woman was panicked, holding a rosary.

"Hello, Heidi. Nice fishing," Demetri said. Huh?

"Thanks. Are you coming?" she asked, her teeth showing.

"In a minute. Save a few for me," he said, making me more confused.

Edward held me into his arms closer. He tried to hide my ears, but I could still hear. It just made me more confused, but I tried to not show it.

When we were in the lobby, the receptionist gave us the room key. She also said that there was a car in the front of the building waiting for us.

Surprisingly, it was the same car that Alice had taken. It had not made it back to its new owner. Instead, it would be used by us for the next two weeks.

Alice was driving the car while Edward held me in the backseat, murmuring that it would all be okay. He made a promise that he would try to help me find my lost memory again.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yes, my love?"

"Why did you try to kill yourself when you thought that I was dead, but you had not seen me for a long time?" I asked.

"Bella, I couldn't live in a world without you. Even if you had not been in my life, my life would be meaningless without you. Also, I had come with Alice to see you when you had left with Jacob. I was going to formally introduce myself after I got off of vacation," he said, flattering me.

"Oh," I said, lost for words. I was officially dazzled again.

"We're here!" Alice chimed from the front seat. "Let's get settled in. Bella, we need to go shopping," she said, making me groan in exhaustion.

"Come on! We can all go. We need clothes for the two weeks that we will be staying here," she added, making me groan a bit more.

"Come on, love. It will be fun. I'll go with you, and we can be together," he said, making me a little bit happier. I had known this man before, but I couldn't remember him. For some reason, he felt like a missing piece in my life. I was happier with him around.

"Fine," I grumbled.

"Let's try to see if we can jog your memory while we are there," Edward said. I knew that he was concerned about the two weeks.

"Fine," I said, completely exhausted.

"Why don't you call Charlie first?" Alice said.

"Okay," I said, and Alice dialed my house number.

"Hello?" Charlie picked up on the first ring.

"Dad, it's Bella. I just wanted to let you know that I am okay. We are held up right now. It may be a few weeks before we are able to come home," I said.

"Bella, are you really okay? What is going on?"

"I'm fine. Edward was in trouble, so Alice and I went to get him," I said.

"I don't know why you bother with him. He's trouble, Bella," he said.  
"Since you are already stuck in this mess, call me when you come home," he  
said.

"Will do. Bye," I said, hanging up before Charlie could give me another  
talk about the danger of being with Edward. If Edward was danger, call me a  
danger magnet.

Alice bought a lot of stuff from the stories. Edward and I merely sat in the  
mall holding hands. It was really nice. Alice had worked magic and bought a  
lot of bags. Edward and I brought them to the car frequently. It was our  
little job, but we didn't mind. After all, we were doing it together.

After it was time to go, we all went back to the hotel room. Edward walked to  
the room with something in his hand. It was a picture.

The picture was beautiful. It was of a meadow with a clearing that sunshine  
was pouring out of.

"Do you remember this?" Edward asked.

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**Sorry about the last part formatting. I copied and pasted it from an email from my beta. **

**I am thinking about having 7 or 8 more chapters. Let me know if you have any ideas please. I do have some, but I think that it can use more.**

**As always, review. :D**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	12. Chapter 12: Shopping

**I'm sorry about the lack of updates... I know, it's saddening. I wrote this up about a month ago, and I finally remembered that I could update. So, I am very sorry. Please excuse my lack of a life. **

**Thanks to all the reviewers out there! I usually get back in a good amount of time. **

**This is chapter 12 from Edward's point of view :D Enjoy and please review!**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**

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"Bella seems to not remember anything, so she puts our secret in huge danger. But, Bella did know our secret before she was changed, so she must be responsible," Aro explained. I tensed, hoping for the best. His thoughts were relatively calm. He did not want to hurt Bella and me, but he did want to make sure that she was not a threat to vampires all around. I figured that I could persuade him if Caius didn't get to him first.

"Aro, we must exterminate her. She isn't able to be trusted," Caius said, crushing my thoughts. I wanted to growl, but I knew that Bella would be scared. After all, she did understand anything at the moment.

"Bella can be completely trusted. I trust her with my life. So far, nothing has happened to make me regret that decision," I said, rebutting him. I wanted to make sure that they understood that Bella was my life.

"And yet you end up in here," Caius argued. I was going to argue with him until the end, and both of us knew it.

"There was a problem with communication in this situation. It had nothing to do with Bella," I said, not being able to control the growl that erupted from me.

"Gentlemen, enough. I took both of your thoughts into consideration," Aro said, realizing that he would have to break us up. "If you would excuse us, I would like to talk to my brothers," he continued, only to us.

He turned around and conferred with his brothers. To give them their privacy, I decided not to listen. I just hoped that the turnout would be good.

_Edward watch this,_ Alice commanded. _It was the same room as the room that we were in. _

"_We have come to a decision," Aro said, only loud enough for vampire ears to hear. "We have decided to use everyone's thoughts into consideration. Therefore, Bella will stay in Volterra for two weeks. If she has not remembered, she will be exterminated. If she has, she will be changed, depending on her memory capabilities. There will be accommodations made at the nearest hotel for Bella to be comfortable. If you leave, there will be consequences that will be taken into action," he said._

After I finished watching, Aro repeated those words. Knowing that this was as generous as the Volturi would be, I decided to word my response carefully. "Yes, Aro. Thank you for your generosity regarding this issue," I said, struggling to word myself carefully, hoping that we would not be killed. I knew that any wrong move meant that Bella, Alice, and I would be dead.

"No problem, my dear Edward. I will see you in two weeks, no more. You will be staying at the Villa Porta all'Arco in Volterra. It is going to be room number 350. I will see you later. For now, Heidi will be coming," he said, alerting me that we need to get out of here soon.

"Why thank you. We will be leaving now. See you soon," Alice said, while we were being walked out by Demetri.

"Alice, how long do we have left?" I asked, glad that we were out of the ears of Aro and his brothers. I wonder how we could get rid of Demetri.

"Not long, Edward, not long. I don't think we will make it out before Heidi comes," Alice replied, showing me a vision of us being stuck here.

I quickened my pace, hoping that Alice's vision was wrong. Unfortunately, Alice was usually uncannily correct. Heidi came in with a bunch of people, one with a rosary. I heard Aro greet them to their death as they were in the hallway. Of course, Demetri stopped and had to talk to Heidi.

"Hello, Heidi. Nice fishing," Demetri said.

"Thanks. Are you coming?" she asked, her teeth showing to make her smile more frightening.

"In a minute. Save a few for me," he said.

I held Bella's sleepy form closer. I tried to get my hands around her ears, but it did not work. She could still hear.

When we were in the lobby, the receptionist gave us the room key. She also said that there was a car in the front of the building waiting for us.

Alice smiled as she seen the car. I wondered why until she told me about the fact that that had been the car that they had stolen in the airport.

Alice was driving the car while I held Bella in the backseat.

"Edward?" the beautiful voice that I missed so much asked.

"Yes, my love?"

"Why did you try to kill yourself when you thought that I was dead, but you had not seen me for a long time?" she asked.

"Bella, I couldn't live in a world without you. Even if you had not been in my life, my life would be meaningless without you. Also, I had come with Alice to see you when you had left with Jacob. I was going to formally introduce myself after I got off of vacation," I said honestly.

_Edward, you are soo sweet,_ Alice's thoughts chimed.

"Oh," Bella said, clearly unconsciously.

"We're here!" Alice chimed from the front seat. "Let's get settled in. Bella, we need to go shopping," she said, hyper.

"Come on! We can all go. We need clothes for the two weeks that we will be staying here," she added, making me want to just skip out. Both Bella and I hated shopping.

"Come on, love. It will be fun. I'll go with you, and we can be together," I said, hoping to make the shopping trip a little better. Maybe she will remember something while on our trip. Her face seemed to brighten a bit at the idea of the two of us, which made me smile. Some of my Bella had not been completely forgotten.

"Fine," she grumbled, grabbing my hand.

"Let's try to see if we can jog your memory while we are there," I said. I didn't want her to see the neediness in my voice, but I can tell it was there.

"Fine," she said, tired. I wanted her to get some sleep, but I could tell that Alice would not let.

"Why don't you call Charlie first?" Alice said. I hadn't even thought of that.

"Okay," she said. Alice dialed the number, knowing that Bella would not know it.

"_Hello?"_ Charlie picked up on the first ring.

"Dad, it's Bella. I just wanted to let you know that I am okay. We are held up right now. It may be a few weeks before we are able to come home," she said.

"_Bella, are you really okay? What is going on?" _

"I'm fine. Edward was in trouble, so Alice and I went to get him," she said, making me smile. She was covering up for me when she really didn't know why.

"_I don't know why you bother with him. He's trouble, Bella. Tell him that there will be trouble if he walks through my doors ever again,"_ he said, making Bella fume with hatred.

"No. Edward will go where I go. It was all a misconception," she said, her voice filled with hate.

_"Since you are already stuck in this mess, call me when you come home_," he  
said, clearly upset.

"Will do. Bye," she said, hanging up before Charlie could give her another  
talk about the danger of being with me. I was glad; I doubt that I would have been able to take that talk.

Alice bought a lot of stuff from the stores. Bella and I merely sat in the  
mall holding hands. It was really nice. Alice had worked magic and bought a  
lot of bags. It was Bella and my job to bring them to the car frequently. I didn't mind. We were doing it together.

After it was time to go, we all went back to the hotel room. I had a picture of the meadow in my hand, hoping that she would recognize the picture. I handed it to her when we got to the room.

"Do you remember this?" Edward asked.


	13. Chapter 13: Stalking

**First off, HUGE thanks to everyone who alerted/favorited/reviewed this story... If you allow PM's, I have hopefully sent you a message. To those who do not have PM's allowed, thanks. :D**

**This is chapter 13. TADDAAAA!!! haha... Um.. I worked really hard on this because the plot is starting to move a little bit more... So, I hope you enjoy it... **

**THE ITALICS ARE FROM THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE... You'll understand when you get there. **

**I guess I will see you at the bottom.**

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Bella

"Do you remember this?" Edward asked me, holding a picture of a beautiful meadow. This meadow, of course, could not compare to the Greek god standing in front of me.

The meadow was so breathtaking; I wanted to go there so bad. There was a circle of no trees, and I loved the view. Sunshine was pouring into the grassy area, making the grass sparkle with the morning dew.

"I wish I could be there. It's so beautiful," I said, shaking my head no. I didn't remember it.

Edward's face dropped, making me realize that I had been there before, but I still didn't remember it. He hoped that it would spark some kind of memory. He was officially desperate.

"Okay, we will try again another day," Edward said, not giving up hope on the idea. I wondered why he was so desperate for me to remember. It wasn't like I had anything after me.

I shrugged. "Can I see the picture some more?" I asked, hoping that he would let me adore the beauty of the picture. I really loved it, and I would love to be there.

He handed over the picture to me, making me smile in response. I just wish I could be there.

I sat on the sofa, and Edward was sitting next to me, reading a newspaper. He looked at Alice intently before concentrating back on the newspaper.

I decided to look at the newspaper. The headline caught my eye.

_More Deaths in Volterra Spark Interest_

_A man was walking home Monday when he seen a dead body lying in the dumpster. He soon called police, who thought it was a joke. When police arrived, they saw the dead body and realized that this was not a laughing matter._

_Another man was found missing after he had been watching a movie with his girlfriend. While watching the movie, his girlfriend looked over to find him missing. Firefighters were called later on that night because a dumpster had been caught on fire outside the cinema. The man's charred remains were found in the dumpster._

_Another incident occurred Tuesday. This time, the bodies seemed to be burned to death and then thrown in the dumpster. Three similar incidents occurred on Wednesday with the bodies being found in the dumpster after brutal harm. On Thursday, four more deaths occurred within the same vicinity as the others. Police officers are still in the process of contacting the families._

_This is the third week that murders have occurred frequently, and the body counts continue to get higher. This is a shock to the city, and the mayor states that something will be done to find this person. Police still have no leads, but they are working their hardest._

_There is one thing that is clear: Something hideous is stalking Volterra._

I turned away from the paper after reading that. I wondered why Edward was looking so intently at Alice after reading this article. Was there something that I needed to know that I was missing? Of course, there was; I can't remember a thing from a life that seemed to have problems.

"What is going on?" I asked, wondering what was with the showdown.

"Bella, love, nothing is wrong. There is just something that is going on in the city," Edward explained, making his voice even more amazing than before. I wish that I could remember more of our time together.

"Oh, okay," I said, yawning. I didn't realize how tired I was. Apparently, my drooping eyelids said that I was very tired, and I should get some sleep.

"Bella, let's get you to bed. You are tired," Edward said before I could ask him where the bed was.

"What about you?" I asked, hoping that he would sleep in the room with me. "And Alice?" There's only one bed in the room.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch. Edward, you can do whatever you want," Alice said.

"What do you want me to do?" Edward asked, looking at me.

"Can you stay in the room? You can have the bed if you want. I don't mind sleeping on the floor," I explained, feeling more like a child than anything.

"Silly, Bella. We can both share the bed. Is that okay with you?" he asked, making me even happier.

"Of course," I said. Why would I not want to share a bed with him?

"Okay, come on," Edward said, pulling my hand up. When I got up, he kissed me on the head.

After we said our goodnights, I quickly dozed off to sleep. I hope Edward didn't mind.

When I awoke, I looked over next to me to see if he was there. He was.

"Good morning beautiful," Edward sang, smiling. "How was your night?" His voice was like an angel.

"Mine was good. I'm glad you stayed. How was yours?" I asked, not knowing the song to complete it.

"I enjoyed it. One of the best nights that I have had," he said, smiling again. This time, he dazzled me.

We walked out the room to meet a very upset Alice. She seemed like something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Alice?" Edward ran to her side.

"The Volturi requested another meeting with us. They want to talk about what has been happening," Alice explained.

Edward seemed panic-stricken. I wondered what was going on with the latest events.

I leaned into Edward some more while Alice and Edward stared at each other, making me even more lost.

"When will this meeting be?" Edward asked, tightening his arm around me.

"Now. Jane should be coming soon," Alice replied.

Edward and Alice stayed still for a few minutes before a knock on the door broke them out of their reverie.

"Come in," Alice chimed.

Jane walked in, ushering us out the door.

"Wait," Jane said.

We turned to look at her, questions in Edward's eyes.

"The girl has to stay."

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**Kind of a cliffy? All will be answered soon... hopefully. **

**So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter... The story is starting to take on another part of the plot. **

**Next chapter: find out about what happened at the meeting, and the first week of the two weeks are going to end, so there will be another meeting (In Edward's point of view!!!). By my time line, the story should be about 19 chapters. It's on chapter 13 right now... **

**Leave me a review and let me know what you think... You may get a special surprise once I finish the chapter!!! **

**Also, to all the people living in the US (and other people if they want to celebrate it), have a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoy it wisely!!!!**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	14. Chapter 14: Meeting

**Okay, I am on a roll! 2 updates in a week is amazing for me. I guess it's because I am off of school (for a week, which is amazing!). So, enjoy this chapter, and I will see you at the bottom... **

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**

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Chapter 14: Edward's point of view

"Clearly, this menace in the city poses a threat to us," Caius chimed for the third time today. Bella had not been allowed to come to this meeting for fear that she would find out about us. If she didn't remember, though, she would be killed. If she did, she would be killed. There was no way out.

"Caius, let us reevaluate the facts. There is a vampire in this city that does not know about us. Either that, or whoever it is wishes for death," Aro said. I did not want to be here. I wanted to be with Bella, who was hopefully alone in the room. I wonder what Aro had planned for her.

Alice then had a vision, saving me from the boringness of the minds around me.

_The meadow did not look like anything that I had ever seen before. It was a luscious green, but it was not like the meadow that Edward and Bella stayed at all the time. The meadow that Edward brought a picture of. He would never forget that. _

_Everyone seemed as if they were tensed to fight. Carlisle was here, along with the rest of the family. There was something striking about this vision though. Not only was the whole family here, but the werewolves were also here. Why? They also seemed tensed, as if they were about to fight. On the other side, it was blurry. There was no definite answer. _

_The Volturi were with our family, fighting with us. I wonder why, but it is no big deal. The time looked soon. It seemed as if it was in the next two weeks. Apparently, this was set in stone. _

I brought my mind out of Alice's vision, not happy at what I saw. There was going to be a fight, which was sure. The vampire in Volterra would not be around much longer.

There was another idea bugging me. Why were the wolves there? They had been extinct since the beginning of time, it seemed; at the very least, it was before I met Bella.

"Alice, can you please show me what was so enthralling?" Aro replied sarcastically, staring at Alice's blank face.

It pulled me out of my worst nightmares.

Alice, knowing that we would all be severely punished if she did not show him her vision, nodded and walked forward toward Aro.

Aro pressed his delicate hand to Alice's palm, and he immediately seen everything about Alice. Her shopping addicts caused his delicate eyebrows to rise. He seemed to be scared because Alice spent too much money, but he calmed down later when he seen that she paid in cash.

And finally, he got to the present. He got to her vision, and I immediately tensed, hoping for the best. He couldn't get mad at us if we didn't want this vision, right? The problem: we did. We wanted to make sure that Bella made it out with a heartbeat, and I know that my family would do anything to protect that. It was a pact that I had made to her from the beginning, and I wasn't going to go against it, no matter what.

Aro seemed shocked that Alice had seen this. He seemed to be in a different mood from the rest of the meeting, knowing that there would be a fight…

Aro decided to talk about the fight that Alice had seen, knowing that the Volturi would always dominate. No one knew, though, that the Volturi were scared to fight when there were more than 4 people. They didn't like uneven numbers, and they knew that they would lose in an uneven fight. But, they had to be strong.

Alice thought, _Edward, the Volturi want us on their side. We will have to agree. Also, we aren't going to win unless we have a strong force behind us. Let's call on some help._

I minutely nodded my head, thinking about the vampires that we could gather. Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, the Denali clan…

Aro pulled me out of my thoughts, saying, "Edward and Alice, you will join us, correct."

Alice and I nodded our heads, knowing that we would have dangerous consequences if we did not fight with them.

"Good," and Caius just smiled.

"Edward and Alice, we will meet in the field outside of Volterra to discuss strategies tomorrow night at 6 p.m. Please, be there."

We both nodded. We had approximately 24 hours to get people to come.

"Also, it seems as if we have another issue to discuss: Bella. It has been one week," Caius reminded us. He would never let it down, and he just smiled menacingly when Alice and I stiffened.

_It's been one week already?!_ Alice and Aro both thought.

"Of course, Caius," Aro said, taking charge again. "It has been one week, and Bella has not remembered. She must remember this week," Aro reminded us.

Alice and I both nodded our head, hoping for the best. After that "enthralling" meeting, Alice and I were allowed to return back.

When we got to the room, Alice quickly left to make phone calls. I could hear her on the line, telling Carlisle and Esme what happened. They agreed to find anyone that could help, and they promised to catch the next flight out.

I ran to Bella, making sure that she was okay. She was sleeping lightly, but it was only 6:00… I had to get her up so she can eat.

"Bella, love, can you please wake up?" I asked while gently shaking her.

"Edward?" she asked groggily.

"Yes," I answered back. "You need to eat. What do you want?"

"What is there?" She asked while sitting up.

"What would you like?"

"Eggs," she said, making me wonder.

"Okay… How would you like them?" I wondered.

"Scrambled," she answered, surprising me.

"Okay."

While I was frying up some eggs, I heard Alice trying to get people to come and fight. She ended up calling the Denali clan, who agreed to come and help.

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**Did you like it? I hope so!**

**There are a few things that I would like to mention. First, the egg thing is merely a coincidence. This has nothing to do with Breaking Dawn and the beloved Nessie. It's because eggs are a common food, and they can be found anywhere. Also, I love eggs. :D **

**Next, the rest of the story is written out! There will only be 17 chapters, and an acknowledgements chapter. So, we only have 3 more chapters to go. I will start another story a little bit before Christmas time. I have the first chapter written out, but I do not want to put anything up that I can't update on for awhile. Plus, I have finals in 2 weeks which means that I will be studying my behind off for the next few weeks. That's why I finished up the chapters. That way, I can just put the chapters up once my beta gives me the okay!!!!**

**Let me know what you think by clicking that lovely review button. I will answer every email that I get!**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	15. Chapter 15: Preparation

**Okay, so this is the new chapter to the story. Beware!!! There are only 2 more chapters left. This chapter and the next one are really good though!!! **

**Also, this is the first chapter that the Point of View changes in. It was complicated and very short had I not added another point of view. The next chapter also changes. You'll see why. **

**With that, enjoy the story. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! This chapter has been finished for a few days now, and I have not updated the story because of the lack of reviews. I got a total of 2 reviews for this chapter. Please help me out!!!**

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Chapter 15

Bella POV

When I awoke, Edward explained that his family had come by to help me out. He seemed determined to get my memory back.

When I came out of the room, I came into contact with the rest of the Cullens.

"Bella, do you remember anything more?" Carlisle asked.

"No," I said, upset.

"Don't feel bad. That's what we are here for," he explained.

Instead of keeping my calm, I exploded. "DON'T FEEL BAD? CARLISLE, I HAVE ONE WEEK TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING OR I WILL BE KILLED. HOW DO I NOT FEEL BAD?" I yelled.

Everyone just looked at Jasper, and I soon felt sleepy.

When I woke, I realized that I was on the sofa, and Edward was next to me.

"Bella, you're up!" Edward exclaimed.

The day passed uneventfully after that. I apologized to Carlisle, and that was the highlight.

At 5:45, Edward said that everyone except Esme would leave because they had to meet with the Volturi. They left soon after.

Esme was an awesome sitter. She never questioned, and she just made sure that everything was fine.

After about 2 hours, though, Esme seemed really weird. All of a sudden, she pushed me into the bedroom that no one used, and she stayed in front of the door.

"Esme, what is going on?" I asked, confused.

"Bella, I thought you should go to sleep for a little while. You look tired," she proclaimed.

"But, I'm not-"

"shh…"

With that, I lied in bed, but I could not fall asleep. I had slept most of the day, so I was not tired anymore.

After about 20 minutes, Esme unlocked the door, and we went out.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," she said, picking up the phone and going out to the balcony.

I decided that I would try to stay away from her for the rest of the time today. Something was going on. I wondered briefly if there was an intruder, but I doubt that Esme would have heard him/her from that far away. Maybe it's one of those crazy traits starting to kick in.

**Edward's Point of View**

Practice had not technically started yet, although we were all here. We were talking about what was going to happen during the fight. Aro was still in the process of asking Alice questions when I got a phone call from Esme.

Esme. She was staying with Bella. A call from her would mean that something had happened with Bella. I immediately picked up the phone.

"Esme, what's wrong?" I asked, frantic. She wouldn't have called if it would not have been important.

"Edward, you need to come back now. A vampire was in the room," Esme stopped once I interrupted her.

I was beyond words, so I was surprised when I uttered a few.

"What do you mean? Is Bella okay?" I asked.

"Bella is fine. I ended up bringing her and me into the spare room that we don't use. I think it may have a tie to the killings in the city, though."

"Is it a scent that you have smelled before?" I asked, wondering.

"No. Never."

"Esme, keep her safe. Is anything missing from the hotel?" I asked, frantic. If there was something missing, we had the motive for the killers.

"Yes, Bella's pillow and some of her clothes… Why?"

"Esme, the army is out for BELLA!! Keep her safe while we are here. I will be here as soon as they let me go," I said.

"I will… Promise."

I walked back to the group, who was discussing the details on what to lure them here. Of course, they did not want the killings in the city.

Thanks to Alice, we all found out that all of the vampires were newborns except one: the trainer. Jasper would help us learn to kill them. After all, he had experience in this area.

The number of the vampires was uncertain, but it was always between 19 and 20. It seemed as if it would stay like that.

"Do you know what the target is, Alice?" Aro asked.

"I do," I quietly said, looking down.

"What?" Aro asked.

"I know who the target is," I said.

"Who?"

"Bella. Apparently, there was a newborn in the hotel earlier. It collected some of Bella's stuff for the scent."

"What?!" Carlisle asked, scared. He wanted Bella and Esme to be safe. "Is she okay?"

"She is fine. Esme made sure she was safe, but the problem is now that Bella is in danger," I explained.

Following this conversation, Jasper quickly showed us what to do.

Aro declared that practice was over soon after that. Practice would resume tomorrow at 6 again. This time, strategies would be discussed. I was to be left with Bella this time, which was no problem with me.

When I went back to the room, Esme explained that Bella had been asleep for a few minutes now. I decided not to wake her because she would want to know what happened with Esme.

Bella slept soundly that night. After a breakfast of cereal, Bella started asking me about what had happened last night.

"What was with Esme?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked back, playing dumb.

"She locked us in a room for 20 minutes randomly," she said, looking down at the carpet.

"Bella, Esme wanted you to get some sleep because you looked like you needed it. She just cared about you," I said, repeating the lie that Esme had told me.

I hated lying to Bella like that. I didn't want to, but I didn't want her to know that there had been a newborn vampire intruder that was stalking her inside of the hotel. That would not have gone over nicely.

"Okay," she said. "What is going on today?"

"The rest of the family is going to another meeting. I don't know why the Volturi are having so many meetings, but I will be watching you today," I said yet another lie. I do know why, but I won't tell her that.

"I like that as long as you don't do what Esme did," Bella said.

"I will if you don't listen," I explained.

"Sure," Bella remarked.

The day had passed uneventfully. For that matter, many days were uneventful. There were practices every day, but I was told to stay with Bella. When Alice got back, she went over the day's practice. I didn't miss anything.

Today was Sunday; the deciding factor in Bella's life and the day of the fight with the newborns. Bella had until midnight. The newborns weren't that lucky, however. They had until 6 p.m., when Alice said that they would be here.

The plan was set: Bella and I hid in the forest to make sure that she would not be found. The rest of the group was to wait in the field. The opposing forces were to come at 6 exactly.

Everyone was in position. The only thing left was to wait for the force to come.

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**Hope you enjoyed it. It's really leading up to the fight. **

**Next chapter, find out about what happens in the fight and Bella's last day before another counsel meeting. That should be fun. :D**

**Please review! I'll update as soon as I fix the next chapter if you do :D**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	16. Chapter 16: Vampire

**Hey guys! I hope everything is going great because I have a new chapter! And I think that it is the longest yet! It is definitely the most suspenseful. **

**This chapter also changes points of view. Take note when it says that it is Edward's point of view. Sorry for the inconvienence, but it has to be like this. You will see why when you get there. **

**I am warning you that this chapter has a huge cliffy. I will try to send the next (and last) chapter to my beta tonight so you can have it soon. Unfortunately, I also have exams this coming week on Friday and Saturday and next week on Monday and Tuesday (yes, I have finals on Saturday... boarding school sometimes sucks!) So, I will probably not update on the Thursday before that or those days. The good news, though, is that I am planning on writing a new story after Tuesday. :D I have the first chapter, but I didn't want to post anything until this one finished. **

**With all that said, I hope you enjoy it! Please review at the end. **

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Chapter 16

Bella POV

Today was Sunday: the deciding day. The Volturi were going to call a meeting tonight at midnight to find out if I had gained my memory back. As of now, the answer would be no. I hope that will change.

Edward said that we would take a hike in the forest to try to get my memory back. I agreed because it meant that I would be spending time with him. For some reason, I knew that I trusted Edward, no matter what. I didn't know how close Edward and I had been before, but I was definitely close to him now.

During the walk to the forest, Edward had held my hand. I was amazed at how a perfect person like Edward would want an imperfect person like me. I have never found anything that I did not like about Edward yet. Edward, on the other hand, would become still for a second before realizing that we were supposed to be walking. I was wondering if he had a lot on his mind when he stopped.

Edward pulled both him and me on the forest floor. We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, but I really didn't mind; after all, I was with Edward. Soon, Edward had produced a sandwich from a picnic basket that he had been carrying with his other hand. I didn't realize how hungry I had been from the walking.

"So, Bella, do you remember anything new from that walk?" he enthusiastically asked.

"Should I have?" I wondered.

"No," he replied, saddened a little.

"Edward, what is going to happen tonight?" I wanted to know what would happen to me.

"It depends. I don't really know. The Volturi are full of secrets," he whispered. Luckily, I heard his shushed words.

It became silent, and I did not want to break the silence. When I was finished eating, I put all my stuff back in the basket.

"Are you eating?" I asked. It was only today that I noticed that he had not eaten the whole time.

"No. I am trying to go on a diet," he said.

"Well, I doubt that starving yourself is not very healthy," I replied back.

"I ate a salad before we came," he explained, twitching his nose a little.

"Oh," I said, feeling stupid. I didn't notice that.

"Would you like to lie down with me? It's a beautiful day," he said, patting the ground next to him.

I lied down, but I didn't agree with the last statement. Edward noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing my discomfort.

"It's just that the sun isn't exactly out. It's not a beautiful day unless the sun is out" I explained my side of the story to him. Apparently, we had different ideas of a beautiful day.

"I like when it's cloudy," he said in a small voice, barely loud enough for me to hear.

We both let the topic drop. Instead, we lay down on the grass, enjoying each other's company.

I don't know how long we lay there, but it had become dark. A few seconds after this realization, we were interrupted by a rustling of the trees. Edward immediately jumped up. Alice had come out of the trees, noticing some other danger across from her.

Alice looked panic-stricken, to say the least. She had deep black eyes, and she had a grimace on her face. She was looking at the other side of the field, which made both Edward and I look that way also.

A woman and a boy came close to Edward. The woman had fire-red hair and red eyes, and she was very pale. She seemed to be enjoying the awkwardness, as her evil smile became wider with each second.

The boy was also pale and had red eyes, but he was a brunette. He was way shorter than her, but he would still be taller than Alice and me. He looked to be about 15.

"Alice, bring her to the city! Make sure nothing happens!" Edward yelled at her while Alice grabbed me.

Edward seemed like he was about to attack both the woman and the boy by himself. I silently prayed that he would not get hurt since Alice had grabbed my hand.

I didn't want to leave due to Edward, but Alice quickly started running, making me go with her. We ran until we were out of the forest, taking only a few minutes. Alice and I quickly walked into the city where we waited under the clock tower. I focused on trying to calm my breathing down because I was breathing extremely heavily.

"Alice, why don't we go back to the hotel?" I asked, confused as to why Alice and I were under the clock tower.

"Bella, the people in the forest would know where you are if we went down there. It's complicated," she said.

"Well, I have time," I retorted back.

"Bella, we really don't. I promised that I would not tell you anything. Unfortunately, I am bound to the law," she explained, saddened.

"Fine," I stomped my foot down, hoping that something would happen. Maybe, I could change the rules to find out just what had happened in the forest.

**Edward's Point of View**

Bella and I were lying down on the forest floor before we were interrupted. It had already turned night, which was a surprise to Bella. My eyes wandered to the cloudy sky to find out the time: 8:30.

Unfortunately, the person rustling in the woods to my left was keeping his/her thoughts from me, so I did not know who it was. I jumped up, bringing Bella with me.

_Edward, I saw danger. Someone is coming. I will take Bella. The others are coming quickly. The fight dispersed over there,_ Alice explained, making me realize that it had been her. Unfortunately, rustling from the other side also made me realize that Bella and I were being attacked.

Just then, a woman and a boy came out of the trees. My scent recognized the boy as the one that had been in the hotel hunting Bella; I soon caught that his name was Riley. Victoria stood next to him, her hair flying in the wind like a wild forest fire. That's what she would be soon.

"Alice, bring her to the city! Make sure nothing happens!" I yelled while Alice grabbed Bella. I wanted Bella to get out of here before something happens.

Bella seemed unwilling to move, but Alice eventually made her go.

Carlisle came within a few seconds. _Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and I are here to help. I will only come out of the forest. The other two will deliver a surprise attack_, Carlisle said. I nodded in his direction as he came out of the forest and pounced on Victoria, who was utterly surprised. Carlisle took her down within seconds, making sure that she was dead. He did not start the fire yet, though.

The boy backed away as soon as he seen that his master had been killed.

"Riley, it's not too late. You can always turn back, be a good person," Carlisle warned.

"You killed her," Riley said with a vengeance. His voice wasn't as deep as other people. He was definitely a mere 16 when he had been turned.

"I'll take that as your answer," I said.

Jasper delivered a surprise attack upon him from the side. Riley jumped in surprise, and he was soon killed.

While Emmett and Jasper dismembered the rest of the bodies, I helped Carlisle set up the fire. Once aflame, I looked at it, wanting to go to Bella. She had to be a little scared now.

_Edward, go to Bella. It is almost midnight,_ Carlisle said in his thoughts after the remains had been charred.

I looked at my watch: 11:45. Bella was with Alice for 3 hours? Wow, time flew by while trying to protect Bella.

I ran to Bella within 3 minutes, having only 12 minutes to spend with her. I ran up to her and hugged her with all of the power that I could manage without killing her. She hugged back.

"Bella, please tell me you remember," I said, hoping for a different answer than what I had been given before.

She looked to the ground and minutely moved her head. She had not. This killed me inside, but I tried not to show it for her sake. Alice could see my plans already, and she gave me a death glare.

"You're going to be okay," I said, hoping to cheer her up. Tears were almost running down her face.

With a minute left, I did the only thing that I could: I kissed her with all my passion. She gratefully returned the kissing, and our tongues were soon battling for dominance. Mine were winning, but hers were coming close to dominating.

We pulled away when the clock bell rang above us.

"Vampire," Bella breathed, just as breathless as I was.

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**OoOo... cliffy like I said, huh? I hope you enjoyed it! Like I said earlier, there is only one more chapter left. So, next chapter, discover where Bella's fate rests, and the meeting with the Volturi. Plus, a little piece of fluff at the end. **

**Thanks for sticking with me so far. **

**Please review! They make me really happy... literally. **

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	17. Chapter 17: Forever

Okay, so this is the last chapter :( I am going to miss my baby. There is another chapter that I will do tonight, but that is going to just be a thanks chapter.

**So, have fun with the last chapter :D**

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Chapter 17: Last Chapter

Edward's point of view

"Vampire," Bella said, breathless.

"What?" I said, confused. She was not supposed to know this!

"I remember everything. You are a vampire," she explained.

"Yes," I said happily. Words could not express how I feel at this moment. The problem was now the Volturi. I quickly hugged Bella before I tugged her arm.

"Come on, Bella. We have to go to the meeting," I explained. Bella's nerves seemed to pick up, but I rubbed her back until they went away.

"Edward, I love you," she said.

"I love you too, love," I responded with the truth. Never again would I have to lie to her.

We soon walked into the Volturi's mansion. Aro greeted us, and he explained that Carlisle and the others were already here.

Once I walked into the meeting, Alice ran up to me and murmured her congratulations under her breath. I thanked her, and we went to our respectful places.

"We have gathered today to find out the fate of Bella. Brothers, I already know what you think. I would like Carlisle's view, as the father of the family, though," Aro explained as he moved closer to Carlisle, holding up his hand.

Carlisle let Aro read his thoughts, and Aro soon realized that Bella was a daughter. Carlisle had more feelings for Bella than I knew. Above them all, I saw a fatherly love like no other.

"Thank you," Aro said as he stepped back and looked at me. "Edward, has Bella remembered anything?"

"Yes, she remembers everything," I said, proud of my Bella for that accomplishment.

"Finally! Our Bella has remembered!" Aro said, seeming excited. "Now, the question lies in what to do with her. I suppose that you would not consider joining our family?" he asked.

"Aro, my family and I would like to return home to take care of our Bella and continue our lives as pretending to be humans," Carlisle said for us.

"Okay then. Such a waste," Aro said as he thought about the shame of killing our family.

I couldn't control my anger. "Join or die, that's it?" I asked.

"Why, Edward, no. You must have some detail wrong," he explained. "I mean no harm, but the rules of our kind must be kept. What happens if she would tell?"

"I would never!" Bella stepped in, but Aro silenced her with a look.

"You have humans in on your charade," Alice reminded him.

"Yes, but we intend to kill them or give them immortality. You do not have this in mind," Aro explained.

"And if we do?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, then, you would be free to go. Of course, though, we would check up on you."

Little Alice walked up to Aro to show him the vision of Bella as a vampire. He seemed intrigued. Alice had then shared with him the fact that she promises that Bella would be changed. I was upset, to say the least. I didn't want Bella to be changed, but I knew that this was not the time to tell him that.

"You are free to go. Please do not roam around the city for long. We will be checking up on you soon, though," Aro said.

"Thank you, Aro. You are free to visit anytime you wish," Carlisle explained while walking out of the door.

Alice was on the phone arranging plane tickets as soon as she walked out of the door. We had gotten first-class tickets for the flight that was to leave in two hours. We soon left.

Bella seemed to be tired. She couldn't stand up without swaying.

"Bella, why don't you go to sleep? I can carry you," I said, hoping that she would. I hated seeing Bella like this.

"Will you stay?" she asked.

"Forever," I said. I would keep this promise forever.

* * *

**Did you like the ending? I hope you did. **

**Like I said above, the next chapter will be just a little thanks. **

**Please review... for the last time in this story... Thanks :D**

**xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx**


	18. Lovesick Melody of Gratitude

Just a little thanks

Thanks to so many people! All of the people who have read this story, thanks so much.

Also, a huge thanks to my awesome beta, .Scotland. She is truly amazing…

Another huge thanks to Dreamin. She created the challenge; I just complied.

Thanks to everyone. You really pushed me to challenge myself as a writer.

I tried to respond to EVERY review, alert, or favorite if PM's were allowed. If they weren't, thanks. If they are, another thanks goes out to you :D

THANKS!!!

xxAlicexBrandonxCullenxx


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